India opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi capped off a dream U19 World Cup campaign by earning a place in the Team of the Tournament, following his sensational knock in the final against England. Vaibhav’s blistering 175 off just 80 balls in the summit clash powered India to their sixth U19 World Cup title and was one of the defining performances of the tournament.
The selection panel, comprising convenor Ian Bishop along with Lydia Greenway, Andy Flower and Telford Vice, named three Indians in the combined XI. Alongside Vaibhav, spinner Kanishk Chouhan and fast bowler Henil Patel also made the cut.
Runners-up England were represented by three players as well. Ben Mayes, the tournament’s leading run-scorer, was named in the XI along with Thomas Rew and Manny Lumsden. Rew was also appointed captain of the Team of the Tournament.
ICC U19 World Cup Team of the Tournament
1. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (India)
2. Viran Chamuditha (Sri Lanka)
3. Faisal Khan Shinwari (Afghanistan)
4. Thomas Rew (wk, c) (England)
5. Oliver Peake (Australia)
6. Ben Mayes (England)
7. Kanishk Chouhan (India)
8. Nooristani Omarzai (Afghanistan)
9. Vitel Lawes (West Indies)
10. Ali Raza (Pakistan)
11. Manny Lumsden (England)
12. Henil Patel (India)
Vaibhav finished the tournament with 439 runs, though his journey was not entirely smooth. The left-hander endured a relatively quiet phase early on, often throwing away promising starts. He found his rhythm in the semi-final, where he laid the foundation for India’s record chase against Afghanistan, before producing an extraordinary performance in the final to dismantle England’s bowling attack.
India’s massive total proved well beyond England’s reach, as wickets at regular intervals derailed their chase despite a spirited batting effort.
The final further cemented the 14-year-old’s reputation as one of the brightest talents of his generation. Vaibhav first shot to prominence during the 2025 Indian Premier League, where he scored 252 runs in just seven matches, including a century. Since then, the young opener has only enhanced his standing and is widely expected to become a major figure in Indian cricket in the years to come.
– Ends
