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The Indian Under-19 cricket team, fresh from their ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup triumph, received a grand and celebratory welcome upon their arrival in Mumbai on Sunday.
Fans and well-wishers gathered in large numbers at the airport to cheer for their young champions, applauding their stellar performance throughout the tournament that brought glory to the nation. India claimed their record-extending sixth U19 World Cup after defeating England by 100 runs in a high-scoring final at Harare on February 6. After India opted to bat first, a stunner, record-shattering Vaibhav Suryavanshi masterclass (175 in 80 balls, with 15 fours and 15 sixes), a half-century from skipper Ayush Mhatre (53 in 51 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and a knock from Abhigyan Kundu (40 in 31 balls, with six fours and a six) guided India to a massive 411/9. England lost an early wicket but went from 142/2 courtesy a fine knock from Ben Dawkins (66 in 56 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and a partnership with skipper Thomas Rew (31 in 18 balls, with four boundaries and a six), but collapsed to 177/7 as they progressed. Caleb Falconer (115 in 67 balls, with nine fours and seven sixes) put on a spectacular show of power, but all in vain, as they are yet to win the title since the 1998 edition. England was skittled out for 311 runs, with this 722 runs being the highest match aggregate in the U19 WC final. India's teenage batting sensation, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, is now the highest run-getter in the history of U19 ODI cricket for the Indian team. Suryavanshi achieved this milestone during his side's ICC U19 World Cup final clash against England. Saving his best for the last, he slammed a brutal 80-ball 175, with 15 fours and 15 sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of over 218. His 53-ball ton is the second-highest in tournament history, and he hit the most sixes in U19 WC history in a single innings. The left-hander finished as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament with 439 runs in seven matches and innings at an average of 62.71 and a strike rate of 169.49, with a century and three fifties to his name. He scored a total of 30 sixes in the competition, the most by a player in a single edition of the U19 WC. In 25 U19 ODIs, Vaibhav has scored 1,412 runs at an average of 56.48, with a strike rate of 165.72 and four centuries and seven fifties, with the best score of 175. He is also the overall fourth-highest run-getter in U19 ODI cricket history. (ANI)
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