India defeated England by 100 runs in the final of the 2026 Under-19 World Cup on Friday (February 6) at Harare Sports Club in Harare. Indian captain Ayush Mhatre won the toss and decided to bat first.
Opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored a brilliant 175 (80) and laid a solid foundation for his team in the crucial encounter. He hit 15 sixes and as many fours before falling in the 26th over with 251 runs on the board. The rest of the batting lineup also contributed significantly to their team’s total of 411/9 in 50 overs.
Caleb Falconer then gave his all for the English squad in the tough chase, scoring 115 (67). However, it was in futile as England were bowled out for 311 in 40.2 overs, falling short by 101 runs. RS Ambrish claimed three wickets for the Asian team during their victorious defense.
The high-scoring Under-19 World Cup final thrilled spectators, who responded by sending humorous memes on social media. Here’s some of the best memes:
“Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got his biopic even before he was born:”
Litti chokha power pic.twitter.com/IkCvA5Yw2y
— Shivani (@meme_ki_diwani) February 6, 2026ICT Fans to Vaibhav Suryavanshi:#U19WorldCupFinal pic.twitter.com/zMjlK2attz
— Kartik🔥 (@KaiseAanaHuaaa) February 6, 2026Freedom fighters watching 14 year old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi thrashing England pic.twitter.com/P0t2tIAOz8
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) February 6, 2026Vaibhav Sooryavanshi got his biopic even before he was born:
pic.twitter.com/quCa23mLut
— Xavier Uncle (@xavierunclelite) February 6, 2026Bowlers in front of
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi :
#U19WorldCup2026 pic.twitter.com/Ctg60JJOR6
— जेंटल मैन 🪷 (@gentleman07_) February 6, 2026Gautam Gambhir meeting Vaibhav Sooryavanshi after the match pic.twitter.com/wWCtGPSvLX
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) February 6, 2026#U19WorldCup pic.twitter.com/KX6NWnP5LQ
— Raja Babu (@GaurangBhardwa1) February 6, 2026— Out Of Context Cricket (@GemsOfCricket) February 6, 2026 Vaibhav Suryavanshi in ICC Finals #under19worldcup #U19WorldCup
pic.twitter.com/ZV2Dyq0MAr
— SwatKat💃 (@swatic12) February 6, 2026Vaibhav Suryavanshi 😂🔥#U19WorldCup pic.twitter.com/dt6X9BBowo
— Desi Bhayo (@desi_bhayo88) February 6, 2026“The boys have played very well” – India captain Ayush Mhatre after the 2026 Under-19 World Cup victory
At the post-match presentation, Indian captain Ayush Mhatre reflected on the momentous victory, saying (via Cricbuzz):
“I can’t express my feelings, but it’s a memorable moment for us in cricketing journey. Yeah, the boys have played very well and what we have set the goals, they executed very well. And they played as a natural game. So, yeah, I’m really happy. (on Sooryavanshi) Yeah, he just keep at it. We have no words for him, what an innings he played. But yeah, we know he’s a fabulous batsman. So he has showed in this match what he can do.”
He continued:
“We are happy that we just carry forward the legacy that Rohit Sharma also has won the World Cup, Harmanpreet also and now we. So we are happy to carry forward the legacy. No words for support staff because last eight, seven months, they are just hustling around us and the credit goes to them that they have worked on us.”
