The Indian men’s U19 team secured a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain-affected group stage match at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. New Zealand, batting first, struggled against pacer R.S. Ambrish, who claimed 4-29, and Henil Patel, who took three wickets, getting bowled out for 135.
India’s chase, despite an early setback losing Aaron George for seven, was steady. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s quick 40 and captain Ayush Mhatre’s 53 off 27 balls put India in control. Vihaan Malhotra and Vedant Trivedi then steered India to victory with unbeaten contributions.
New Zealand faced early troubles with Ambrish’s dismissals of key players. India, however, remained composed during their chase, with Sooryavanshi and Mhatre leading the charge. The win secures India’s top spot in Group B, advancing them to Group 2 of the Super Six stage in the tournament.
India’s next matches are scheduled against Zimbabwe and Pakistan on Tuesday and February 1, respectively.
