Bulawayo, Jan 27 (IANS) Vihaan Malhotra struck a century to help India Under-19 hand Zimbabwe Under-19 by a whopping 204 runs in a Super 6 stage match of the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 to reclaim their top spot in Group 2 standings at the Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, on Tuesday.
Asked to bat first, Indian openers Aaron George and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stitched together a quick-fire 44-run opening stand. George’s departure didn’t deter Sooryavanshi as he continued with the onslaught to bring up his half-century.
Zimbabwe clawed back some initiative, sending the 14-year-old Sooryavanshi, who hammered a 30-ball 52 (4×4, 4×6) and Vedant Trivedi (15) back in the hut within the next five overs.
Malhotra and Abhigyan Kundu then settled into a fine batting rhythm to steer India clear of any potential danger. The former fired India’s first century at the tournament, while Kundu’s 61 off 62 deliveries set India on the course for a big score. Khilan A. Patel’s 12-ball 30 added to the late fireworks as India finished with 352/8 from their 50 overs.
Chasing a daunting total, Zimbabwe lost their openers, Nathaniel Hlabangana, Dhruv Patel, and Brendon Senzere early in the chase. Kian Blignaut and Leeroy Chiwaula attempted to rebuild the Zimbabwean innings, with the latter also bringing up a resilient half-century.
But Ayush Mhatre and Udhav Mohan snapped up three wickets each, helping India curtail the Zimbabwe challenge to 148 after a lower-order collapse.
The victory means only three teams from Group 2, India, England, and Pakistan, remain in the hunt for the semi-finals spots, with a huge bearing on Sunday’s blockbuster clash between India and Pakistan.
Brief scores:
India Under-19 352/8 in 50.0 overs (Vihaan Malhotra 109, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 52, Abhigyan Kundu 61, Kian Blignaut 37; Tatenda Chimugoro 3-49, Panashe Mazai 2-86, Simbarashe Mudzengerere 2-51) beat Zimbabwe Under-19 148 all out in 37.4 overs (Leeroy Chiwaula 62, Kian Blignaut 37, Tatenda Chimugoro 29; Ayush Mhatre 3-14, Udhav Mohan 3-20, R.S. Ambrish 2-19) by 204 runs
–IANS
bsk/
