India’s teenage batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi continued his dazzling form ahead of the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026, hammering a scintillating 96 off just 50 balls against Scotland Under-19 in a warm-up match at the Bulawayo Athletic Club on Saturday.
The 14-year-old produced another fearless display, striking nine fours and seven sixes to dominate the Scotland bowling attack. Opening the innings, Suryavanshi put on 70 runs for the first wicket off 42 balls with captain Ayush Mhatre (22 off 19) before adding 78 runs for the second wicket with Aaron George (61 off 58) off 56 deliveries.
Suryavanshi raced to his half-century in just 27 balls, reaching the milestone with a towering six. He narrowly missed out on a deserved century, falling for 96 to Manu Saraswat after setting the tone for India’s imposing total.
The right-hander has been in prolific form in recent weeks. He recently led India Under-19 to a 3-0 whitewash of South Africa Under-19, finishing as the leading run-scorer of the series with 206 runs at an average of 68.66 and a strike rate of 187.27, including a century and a half-century. He capped the series with a stunning 127 off 74 balls, laced with nine fours and ten sixes.
Powered by Suryavanshi’s explosive start, India posted a commanding 374/8 against Scotland. Vihaan Malhotra (77 off 81), Abhigyan Kundu (55 off 48) and Aaron George provided valuable support in the middle order.
For Scotland, Ollie Jones was the standout bowler, returning figures of 4 for 70 in his 10 overs.
India will open their Under-19 World Cup campaign against the USA on January 15 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Placed in Group A alongside Bangladesh, New Zealand and the USA, India head into the tournament as the most successful side in Under-19 World Cup history, having lifted the title five times.
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