Captain Oliver Peake scored a century as Australia beat the West Indies by 22 runs to book their spot in the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup.
India begin their Super 8 journey against South Africa at the Narendra Modi stadium in a thrilling clash where a single mistake could change the course of the semifinals.
From Brian Lara to Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes to Steve Smith, the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup has never fallen short of showcasing cricket's brightest young stars. More than 30 years have passed since the world's top talents first announced themselves on the big stage, with the 1988 Youth Cricket World Cup a ground-breaking step in bringing ability to the fore.
Australia blanked England while South Africa and Bangladesh showed their bowling prowess with mighty wins over Zimbabwe and USA respectively. In the 16th-place play-off, Afghanistan fought off a spirited USA side to win a low-scoring thriller.
Former Pakistan batsman and current Under-19 head coach Ejaz Ahmed feels that his side can beat defending champions and arch-rivals India in the forthcoming ICC Under-19 World Cup, beginning in South Africa on January 17. Ejaz, who has played 60 Test and 250 ODIs, was head coach of the Pakistan Emerging side which beat India before eventually winning the title in Bangladesh last year.
India skipper Ishan Kishan blamed poor fielding for his team's defeat in the final of the Under-19 World Cup against the West Indies.
Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers believes 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should play ODI and Test cricket to fully develop his game, though he warned that the road in longer formats would not be easy.
Seeking to continue their confident start to the tournament, a well-balanced India will begin as firm favourites despite facing a tricky Bangladesh in their second match of the ICC U-19 World Cup, in Bulawayo, on Saturday.
Cricket greats Rahul Dravid, Michael Atherton and Graeme Smith are looking forward to the ICC U-19 World Cup, saying the tournament gives the young players the chance to test themselves against the best in their age group. The 11th edition of the tournament will be played across four cities in Bangladesh from January 27 to February 14 and features nine Test-playing nations and seven Associate and Affiliate Members - Afghanistan, Canada, Fiji, Namibia, Nepal, Ireland and Scotland. Dravid, a veteran of 164 Tests and 344 one-day internationals with more than 10,000 runs in both forms, lauded the tournament even though he himself never participated in one. He was 15 when the inaugural event was held in 1988 and had already become a Test cricketer when it was next played in 1998. "It is a great opportunity for young players to be able to get exposure to the demands of international cricket," said Dravid, who will coach the India Colts side at the tournament.
Arshin Kulkarni slammed a stroke-filled century before pacer Naman Tiwari's grabbed four wickets as India recorded a facile 201-run win over USA in their final group game of the U-19 World Cup in Bloemfontein on Sunday.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, a 15-year-old cricket prodigy, is now eligible to play for India in senior international cricket, sparking comparisons to Sachin Tendulkar and raising questions about fast-tracking his career.
Kalra was in line to replace senior opener Shikhar Dhawan in the Ranji squad but as it now stands, he will not play any further.
Both Suryavanshi and skipper Mhatre are coming into the tournament following a great run of form in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi congratulated India's U-19 team after their record sixth World Cup win, powered by Vaibhav Suryavanshi's stunning 175 against England in the final.
Three-time former champion and last tournament's losing finalist Australia and dark horse Afghanistan progressed from Group B to the next round of the ICC U19 World Cup on the final day of the first round matches on Wednesday.
India have time and again showed at the junior level the gulf that exists between them and other teams
Former India chief selector Kiran More compared Rajasthan Royals teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to a young Sachin Tendulkar, calling the 15-year-old batting sensation a special talent destined to bring great glory to Indian cricket.
Seventeen-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Karabo Meso on Wednesday earned her maiden call-up to South Africa's 15-member squad for the women's ODI World Cup starting later this month in India and Sri Lanka.
Jos Buttler has hailed 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the best player he has ever seen after the Indian prodigy's record-breaking U-19 World Cup final century.
A look at some of India's key performers in the Under-19 T20 World Cup.
Scenes of joy unfolded in Palghar as Ayush Mhatre led India to a record sixth U-19 World Cup title, with family and friends celebrating the historic 100-run win over England.
Images from the Under-19 World Cup final between India and Bangladesh, at Potchefstroom, on Sunday
India's U17 women's team achieved a historic milestone by qualifying for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup quarter-finals for the first time, following a dominant 4-0 victory against Lebanon. The team's progress was confirmed after other group results went their way. They will now face China in the quarter-finals.
The strained bilateral relations between India and Bangladesh filtered onto the cricket field as captains of the two teams abstained from making customary handshake ahead of their U-19 World Cup Group A match in Bulawayo on Saturday, though the players from both sides were seen exchanging handshakes and pleasantries on the field at the end of the match.
India will begin their campaign against South Africa at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on January 15.
India and Australia are clubbed together in Group B along with Zimbabwe and East Asia Pacific qualifier Papua New Guinea, an ICC release read on Wednesday.
Led by Saharan, who is leading the batting charts with 389 runs, the team's performance got better with each match and the only time it has been pushed to a corner in the tournament is the semifinal where it pipped hosts South Africa by a solitary wicket.
It was a total team effort by the 'Boys in Blue' who literally outclassed their South Asian neighbours in all departments of the game with a thoroughly professional performance.
Two-time champions Pakistan claimed third position at the ICC U-19 Cricket World Cup 2018 after their third-fourth position play-off match against Afghanistan was washed-out on Thursday without a ball being bowled, in Queenstown.
At just 14 years old, Suryavanshi is already one of the most talked-about young cricketers in the world, having first made headlines with an electrifying 35-ball century in the Indian Premier League's 2025 season.
Manish Ojha, coach of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, shares insights into the young cricketer's training and mindset after his record-breaking century in the U-19 World Cup.
Afghanistan caused a major upset in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup when it defeated three-time champion and last edition runner-up Australia by 36 runs at Abu Dhabi Oval 2 on Monday.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is set to play his 19th season of IPL, what many experts believe could be the legend's final one with CSK.
Shardul Thakur and Siddhesh Lad were named Cricketers of the Year for seasons 2024-25 and 2025-26 respectively during the MCA Awards ceremony
India's skipper Ayush Mhatre said his team wanted to carry the legacy of Rohit Sharma and Harmanpreet Kaur after winning the 2026 ICC Under 19 World Cup in Harare on Friday.
India head coach Hrishikesh Kanitkar has urged his team to be natural and keep things simple as they prepare to face Australia in the final of the Under-19 Cricket World Cup at Willowmoore Park on Sunday.
India is placed in Group B alongside debutants Uganda, South Africa and Ireland for the ICC Under-19 men's cricket World Cup, to be held in the West Indies across four countries from January 14 to February 5 2022.
From the lad with spiked hair lifting the U19 World Cup to the statesman in whites scoring one final ton -- Virat Kohli's journey is one of relentless ambition, transformation, and enduring legacy.
Australia's Malajczuk smashes fastest century in U19 World Cup history
Uncapped teenage fast bowler Alzarri Joseph will join the 13-member West Indies squad for the second Test against India starting in Kingston, Jamaica on July 30, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said. The 19-year-old Joseph has performed outstanding bowling feats for the U-19 side where he snared 13 wickets to lead West Indies to their World Cup title in Bangladesh. No other changes have been made to the Jason Holder-led squad which looked inexperienced against India's supremacy in the first game as they were thrashed by an innings and 92 runs.
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