India defeated England by 100 runs to win the ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup final on Friday. The final was played at Harare, Zimbabwe, where India claimed its sixth U-19 World Cup title. India won the toss and chose to bat first, setting a target of 411 for England. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi won the Player of the Series after scoring 175 off 80 balls in the final match, the highest individual score ever in an Under-19 World Cup final. Before getting dismissed in the 26th over, he already put India into a commanding position. Kanishk Chauhan finished India’s innings with a rapid 37* off 20 deliveries, thereby raising the target to 412.
Chasing a target of 412, England lost their openers early. Dawkins completed his fifty before getting out to Ayush Mhatre. The game took a wild turn when England lost four wickets in the space of two overs, slipping from 174/3 to 177/7 as the chase derailed. England kept things alive thanks to a remarkable 67-ball 115 by Caleb Falconer, but ultimately fell well short. The Indian team was led by captain Ayush Mhatre. Both Player of the Series and Player of the Match were won by 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
