Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Moments after scripting one of the most dominant performances in U-19 World Cup history, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi summed up the sheer joy of India’s triumph not with words of cricketing analysis, but with an infectious burst of celebration. As India sealed a record-extending sixth U-19 World Cup title with a thumping 100-run win over England on Friday, a video of the teenage star dancing wildly with his teammates quickly went viral.In the clip shared on social media, a visibly elated Sooryavanshi can be heard laughing and saying, “Punjabi gana nahi samajh mein aa rha hai. Bhojpuri lagega.”
What followed was a carefree celebration as the young Indian squad danced their hearts out to a Bhojpuri track, soaking in the moment after weeks of relentless effort. The scenes perfectly captured the spirit of a team that played fearless cricket and celebrated with the same freedom.The wild celebrations came on the back of a truly historic final. Sooryavanshi produced an innings for the ages, smashing 175 off just 80 balls, laced with 15 sixes and as many boundaries, as India piled up a mammoth 411 for 9 after being asked to bat. England, bruised and battered by the onslaught, were eventually bowled out for 311, with Caleb Falconer’s 67-ball 115 only reducing the margin of defeat.Reflecting on his approach in the final, the 14-year-old said he trusted his instincts. “I had faith in my skills that I can contribute in big games and today it happened,” Sooryavanshi said at the post-match presentation. He added, “We weren’t taking too much pressure. We just thought how we had done well in the tournament, we’ll just follow our process and play our natural games.”Sooryavanshi, who was named both Player of the Final and Player of the Tournament, also highlighted the long build-up to the triumph. “The preparation has been good not only during the Asia Cup (which India lost to Pakistan last year in Dubai), but the last 8-9 months. And only the players know how hard we have worked in that period.”Skipper Ayush Mhatre said the team wanted to carry forward the legacy of India’s recent World Cup successes. “Rohit Sharma won the World Cup, Harmanpreet (Kaur) also and now we have won it. No words for the support staff, they way they have hustled for the last many months…keep supporting us like this, we’ll keep winning you trophies.”As the music blared and the youngsters danced without a care, Sooryavanshi’s words and actions reflected the same fearless, joyful approach that defined India’s march to yet another U-19 World Cup crown.
