NEW DELHI: India’s opening match of the 2025 Under-19 Asia Cup became a showcase of dominance, power and sporting brilliance, capped by a flying catch from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi that matched the authority of his record-breaking 171 on Friday. The moment came in the 38th over of UAE’s chase when Prithvi Madhu, struggling to keep the innings alive, missed a shot from Vihaan Malhotra.
Sooryavanshi, stationed in the depths, sprinted across and lunged at full length to take advantage of a sharp, deadly opportunity. Regard:The dismissal ended Madhu’s patient 50 off 87 balls and sealed India’s stunning 234-run win.Earlier, it was Sooryavanshi’s bat that opened the game. He unleashed a brutal attack on the UAE bowlers, smashing 171 off just 95 balls, peppered with nine fours and an incredible 14 sixes. His strike rate of 180 dominated India’s innings but the carnage didn’t stop there. Aaron George (69) and Vihaan Malhotra (69) added momentum while late forays from Vedant Trivedi (38), Abhigyan Kundu (32 not out off 17) and Kanishk Chouhan (28 off 12) took India to a massive score of 433/6.The UAE response never gained momentum. Early bursts left them reeling at 48/5 inside 11 overs. Only captain Uddish Suri offered any resistance with a tough unbeaten score of 78 off 106 while Madhu took the lead for most of the innings until Sooryavanshi’s dive ended his fight. India’s bowlers were disciplined, with Deepesh Devendran (2/21), Khilan Patel (1/35) and Kishan Kumar Singh (1/30) keeping the score close.In the final overs the result was inevitable. The UAE reached 199/7 and were far from threatening India’s outstanding overall record.
