Young middle-order batter Vihaan Malhotra showed great patience and maturity as he regained his rhythm again, smashing an unbeaten century that helped India to register a dominating 204-run win against Zimbabwe in their opening Super Six match of the Under-19 World Cup.
Vihaan Malhotra's calm and composed knock
Malhotra played a calm and controlled knock, finishing on 109 not out, while Abhigyan Kundu continued his excellent form with a fluent half-century as India posted a huge total of 352 for 8.
India carried forward their strong form from the group stage, where they had beaten the USA, Bangladesh and New Zealand. They wasted no time in attack, reaching 100 runs in just over 10 overs. Opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi led the charge with a brisk 52 off 30 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes.
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Vihaan Malhotra's century
Malhotra completed his century in 104 balls and went on to anchor the innings deep. Kundu, meanwhile, scored 61, registering his second fifty of the tournament. He has been one of India’s most consistent performers, having also scored 80 against Bangladesh and remained unbeaten in earlier matches.
India continued to pile on runs in the later overs, crossing the 350 mark thanks to useful contributions from RS Ambrish and Khilan Patel. Zimbabwe tried several bowling options, but none could slow India down, with one of their pacers conceding heavily.
Zimbabwe's flop show
Defending the big total, India’s fast bowlers struck early. RS Ambrish and Henil Patel bowled tight opening spells and reduced Zimbabwe to 24 for 3 within the first nine overs. The pressure never eased after that.
Although Kian Blignaut and Leeroy Chiwaula showed resistance with patient knocks, Zimbabwe struggled to keep up with the rising run rate. They reached 100 only in the 28th over, by which time the chase was already out of reach.
India’s bowlers wrapped up the innings for 148 in 37.4 overs. Captain Ayush Mhatre chipped in with three wickets, while Udhav Mohan also picked up key scalps to complete a dominant all-round performance. With this win, India move to the top of Group 2 in the Super Six with six points.
Brief scores:
India 352 for 8 in 50 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 52, Vihaan Malhotra 109 not out, Abhigyan Kundu 61; Panashe Mazai 2/86, Tatenda Chimugoro 3/49, Simbarashe Mudzengerere 2/51) beat Zimbabwe 148 in 37.4 overs (Kian Blignaut 37, Leeroy Chiwaula 62; RS Ambrish 2/19, Henil Patel 1/25, Udhav Mohan 3/20, Ayush Mhatre 3/14) by 204 runs.