NEW DELHI: India’s opening match of the U19 Asia Cup 2025 turned into a showcase of dominance, power-hitting, and athletic brilliance, capped by a flying catch from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi that matched the authority of his record-shattering 171 on Friday. The moment arrived in the 38th over of UAE’s chase, when Prithvi Madhu, battling to keep the innings alive, miscued a lofted stroke off Vihaan Malhotra.
Sooryavanshi, stationed in the deep, sprinted across and launched himself full-length to pouch a sharp, dying chance. Watch:The dismissal ended Madhu’s patient 50 off 87 balls and put a seal on India’s overwhelming 234-run victory.Earlier, it was Sooryavanshi’s bat that ripped the game open. He unleashed a brutal assault on the UAE bowlers, smashing 171 off just 95 balls, peppered with nine fours and a staggering 14 sixes. His strike rate of 180 defined India’s innings, but the carnage didn’t stop there. Aaron George (69) and Vihaan Malhotra (69) added to the momentum, while late surges from Vedant Trivedi (38), Abhigyan Kundu (32 not out off 17), and Kanishk Chouhan (28 off 12) pushed India to a towering 433/6.UAE’s response never gathered pace. Early jolts left them tottering at 48/5 inside 11 overs. Only skipper Uddish Suri offered resistance with a gritty unbeaten 78 off 106, while Madhu held one end for most of the innings until Sooryavanshi’s diving take ended his fight. India’s bowlers operated with discipline, with Deepesh Devendran (2/21), Khilan Patel (1/35), and Kishan Kumar Singh (1/30) keeping the scoring tight.By the final overs, the outcome was inevitable. UAE crawled to 199/7, nowhere close to threatening India’s towering total.
