Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre Star As India U19 Clinch Series 2-0 vs Australia
Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre Star As India U19 Seal Series 2-0 Against Australia
India U19 beat Australia U19 by 51 runs in the second Youth ODI at Ian Healy Oval, Brisbane, to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s brisk fifty set the tone with the bat, and captain Ayush Mhatre’s part-time off-spin closed the game with three late wickets. The series finale is on Friday at the same venue.
How India Built 300
India lost skipper Ayush Mhatre for a two-ball duck, but the response was calm and clinical. Vaibhav Suryavanshi (70 off 68) and Vihaan Malhotra (70 off 74) rebuilt the innings with a 117-run stand for the second wicket. Their partnership brought India from early trouble to a position of control, with smart strike rotation and selective boundary hitting.
When Suryavanshi fell, the innings wobbled briefly. Wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu (71 off 64) took charge through the middle and death overs, stitching small but vital stands with the lower order. His late acceleration, including clean strikes down the ground, pushed India to a competitive 300 all out in 49.4 overs.
Australia’s Chase: Bright Start, Sudden Slide
Australia reached 63 for 1 in 18.5 overs, but India’s spinners flipped the script. Off-spinner Kanishk Chouhan removed Steve Hogan to spark a collapse. At the same team score of 63, Alex Turner and Yash Deshmukh also fell, plunging Australia to 63 for 4. By 109 for 6, India were well on top.
Jayden Draper (102 off 72) launched a fierce counterattack, adding 112 for the seventh wicket with Aryan Sharma (38). Their stand dragged Australia back into the contest, forcing India to reshuffle fields and vary pace through the middle.
The Turning Point
With Australia surging, Ayush Mhatre threw himself the ball. The captain broke the 112-run stand, dismissing Draper and Aryan in quick succession to end the chase. His figures of 3 for 27 with part-time off-spin were the decisive difference at the death.
“We stayed patient after the early collapse and backed our spin to squeeze in the middle,” was the clear message from India’s on-field tactics.
Why India’s Win Matters
This was a complete team result: top-order recovery, a strong finish with the bat, calm spin through the middle, and sharp captaincy when the chase heated up. It also underlined India U19’s depth. Even after losing the captain early, the batting group produced three 70-plus scores, and the bowling found different match-winners across phases.
Match Summary
Innings | Team | Score | Overs | Top Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | India U19 | 300 all out | 49.4 | Abhigyan Kundu 71 (64), Vaibhav Suryavanshi 70 (68), Vihaan Malhotra 70 (74) |
2nd | Australia U19 | 249 all out | 47.2 | Jayden Draper 102 (72), Aryan Sharma 38; Ayush Mhatre 3/27 |
Brief Scores
India U19 300 all out in 49.4 overs: Vaibhav Suryavanshi 70, Vihaan Malhotra 70, Abhigyan Kundu 71; Will Byrom 3/71, Yash Deshmukh 2/31.
Australia U19 249 all out in 47.2 overs: Jayden Draper 102, Aryan Sharma 38; Ayush Mhatre 3/27.
What To Watch In The Final ODI
Powerplay balance: Can India’s openers repeat the Suryavanshi–Malhotra tempo?
Spin squeeze: Chouhan and support spinners will again target overs 11–35.
Death overs: India’s lower order and slower-balls mix at the close could decide the margin.
“We’ve taken the series, but the job’s not done—finish 3-0,” is the mindset India will carry into Friday.