U19 World Cup: From fiery Sooryavanshi to dogged Mhatre and formidable George, India tops the world again

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reserved his best for the final and skipper Ayush Mhatre delivered when it mattered the most, as India lit up the U-19 World Cup once again as they crushed England by 100 runs in the final for their record-extending sixth title.

Sooryavanshi is destined for greater achievements has been evident with his feats at the tender age of 14.

But another young batter from Mumbai produced one more story of grit and perseverance when Mhatre banished poor form to make big contributions in the knockouts.

Here’s a look at some of the key players from the U-19 team, who gave India a third consecutive world title across age groups and genders:

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi:With a record 15 sixes and as many boundaries embellishing his 80-ball 175 in the final, the 14-year-old Sooryavanshi’s success highlighted the robustness of Indian cricket structure which nourishes young talent and provides them opportunities to excel at the biggest stage. His IPL hundred last year, also the second-fastest in the T20 league, is another feather in the cap for the boy from Bihar.

Ayush Mhatre: With only one half-century to show in six matches until the semifinal, the Mumbai boy looked out of touch. But even as he fell for a duck against Pakistan, he produced 3/21 to tighten the screws and help India win the game and went on to hit a vital 62 against Afghanistan in the semifinal, and 53 in the final against England.

Aaron George: A Keralite who represents Hyderabad, George is rated highly for his fluency with the bat when on-song. But even as runs deserted him for most part of the tournament, his best came against Afghanistan when India’s backs were against the wall in the semifinal chasing a target in excess of 300. With a match-winning 115 under pressure, the 19-year-old showed his pedigree against the odds.

Vihaan Malhotra: He was pipped by Sooryavanshi’s 175 in the final in the race to end up as India’s highest run-scorer in the tournament, but Punjab’s Vihaan still had 240 runs at an average of 60 with one century to show his consistency with the bat in the tournament. His tally is second-highest for India in the competition. Known to be a quick learner and someone who becomes restless until he corrects anything wrong with his game, Vihaan doesn’t relax until he gets back to making big runs.

Vedant Trivedi: If not for his 68 against Pakistan in the final league match, India may not have scored 252 en route to their 58-run win over the arch rivals. With the team slipping from 47 for 0 to 47 for 3, the 18-year-old right-handed batter from Ahmedabad, known for his calm demeanour and excelling in pressure situations, showed his class with a match-winning knock.

Abhigyan Kundu: A bubbly boy who was sent for cricket coaching just because he could get tired of the workload and eventually fall asleep, Navi Mumbai’s Kundu has emerged as a workaholic with the bat and behind the stumps. And, he delivered consistently, notching up scores of 42 not out, 80, 61, 16 and 40 in the final to announce the making of another successful wicketkeeper-batter who aims to become first India (seniors) cricketer from Navi Mumbai.

R.S. Ambrish: If he could not pitch in with the bat, Tamil Nadu’s Ambrish ensured his bowling did the trick for India in the T20 World Cup. His highest (29) came against Pakistan in a high-pressure situation when India needed runs from their lower-order, while in the final he returned bowling figures of 3/56. Additionally, the right-arm seamer claimed a fine 4/29 in India’s win over New Zealand. One of the three First-Class cricketers from India in this U-19 World Cup along with Mhatre and Sooryavanshi, Ambrish is certainly the one to watch out for.

Deepesh Devendran: Son of a former, Tamil Nadu player Vasudevan Devendran, Deepesh has had right guidance from his formative years as he looks to make it big on the international stage. He returned identical figures of 2/64 in the semifinal and the final.

Khilan Patel: Known for his supreme confidence and flamboyant style on the field and off it, Khilan could be following Ravindra Jadeja’s footsteps with his tidy left-arm spin and handy runs lower down the order. “How he would perform on a day can simply be gauged by how Khilan walks out on the field,” Gujarat’s U-19 coach Hem Joshipura told PTI.

Henil Patel: He remained wicketless in the semifinal and the final but until then, there wasn’t a game in which Henil hadn’t taken a wicket in the T20 World Cup. He started off with 5/16 against the USA, took a three-for against New Zealand and finished the campaign with a total of 11 wickets.