Vaibhav Sooryavanshi perfectly summed up his performance in the post-match ceremony of the U19 World Cup final on Friday. The 14-year-old soaked in glory as he received the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards, and remarked, “I know I can perform in big games and under pressure, so I stayed confident and kept believing.”
The U19 World Cup showed that Sooryavanshi is a big-game player, as he proved in the semifinals as well. In a huge run chase of 311 runs vs Afghanistan, he blazed to a 33-ball 68 knock, laced with nine fours and four sixes in his 90-run stand with Aaron George.
Then, in the final against England, he smashed the second-fastest ton in U19 World Cup history, getting his hundred off only 55 balls. He ended up smacking 175 runs off 80 balls, also hitting 15 fours and 15 sixes.
“Feeling really good. All the preparation, the effort from the support staff, all the games we played – the Asia Cup and the series leading up to this – everything has brought us to this moment. I want to dedicate this award to the entire support staff. The main goal was not to take too much pressure. We focused on believing in ourselves and trusting the process we’ve been following since the beginning of the tournament,” he said.
“The preparation started from the Asia Cup and even before that. For the last eight to nine months, the support staff and the team have been working together. That preparation has played a huge role in getting us to where we are today. I’m very confident in the skill set I’ve developed”, he added.
Suryavanshi’s effort saw India post 411/9 in 50 overs. Meanwhile, skipper Ayush Mhatre got a half-century, registering 53 off 51 balls. Chasing 412 runs, England were bowled out for 311 in 40.2 overs, despite a late valiant effort by Caleb Falconer. Falconer was the last wicket to fall, and kept going despite losing partners quickly. Falconer got 115 runs off 67 balls, hitting nine fours and seven sixes.
