Mature Vaibhav praised after vital knock at U19 World Cup
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's quality was once again on point as the teenage batting prodigy starred as India beat Bangladesh at the Under 19 World Cup.
He's still only 14, but already the big moments are stacking up in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's very young career.
After bursting onto the scene domestically, Vaibhav was a key contributor for India (72 off 67) as they edged past Bangladesh to maintain their unbeaten start at the ICC Under-19 Men's Cricket World Cup and take command of Group B.
Disciplined India win a thriller against Bangladesh | Match Highlights | U19 CWC 2026
India captain Ayush Mhatre hailed the professionalism on display from his star hitter, detailing how he was able to handle the high pressure moment with aplomb.
"(Sooryavanshi) showed the maturity that he's got and just batted really brilliant," said Mhatre.
"He showed patience also; the team needed him to stay there, so he stayed in.
"It was initially tough conditions because there was some stickiness in the wicket and the ball was coming a little bit (on the) slower side, back of the length, so there was some difficulty.
"But the way that (Abhigyan Kundu and Sooryavanshi) batted, and (later in) the innings, (Kanishk Chouhan) batted well."
Sooryavanshi's enterprising knock lifts India | Player Highlights | U19 CWC 2026
India made 238 runs batting first, with three key contributions with the bat. And despite rain impacting Bangladesh's run chase, forcing the implementation of the DLS method and a revised target of 165 from 29 overs, India did enough to hold on for a 16-run victory. The Tigers were all out for 146 off 28.3 overs.
Kundu anchored India's batting innings with 80 off 112, perfectly complementing Vaibhav's more aggressive approach. The pair produced a 62-run stand for the fourth wicket to help lay strong foundations, while Chouhan's 28 off 26 helped with the finishing touches from their 50 overs.
"(Kundu) is batting really well in this tournament, and is in form also, so it's really nice for us that he's batting really brilliant and scoring some runs for our team," Mhatre continued.
Spectacular Sooryavanshi takes a superb catch | U19 CWC 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi holds on to a difficult chance in the outfield
"It really was a terrific victory from our boys ... it was really big.
"We just play our game, we're not thinking much (about that game yet), just (about) playing our cricket."
India can now rest up for the best part of a week, with their next contest scheduled for January 24 against New Zealand at Bulawayo.