BULAWAYO, Jan 25: India’s U19 men’s cricket team continued its unbeaten run in the 2026 ICC U19 Cricket World Cup with a seven wicket victory over New Zealand in a rain affected group stage match at Queens Sports Club, Zimbabwe.
New Zealand, sent in to bat, struggled against disciplined Indian bowling. Paceman R.S. Ambrish starred with 4-29, while Henil Patel claimed three wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 135. Early collapses saw New Zealand at 22/5, though Callum Samson (37*) and Selwin Sanjay (28) guided the innings into three figures.
Chasing 136 via the DLS method, India lost Aaron George for seven but maintained control through a 93-run partnership between Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (40 off 23 balls) and captain Ayush Mhatre (53 off 27 balls). Vihaan Malhotra (17*) and Vedant Trivedi (13*) then remained unbeaten to secure the seven-wicket win in 13.3 overs.
The result ensures India tops Group B and advances to the Super Six stage alongside England, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and Zimbabwe. The five-time champions will face Zimbabwe next on Tuesday, followed by a clash with Pakistan on February 1.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand 135 all out in 36.2 overs (Callum Samson 37*, Selwin Sanjay 28; R.S. Ambrish 4-29, Henil Patel 3-23) lost to India 130/3 in 13.3 overs (Ayush Mhatre 53, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 40; Selwin Sanjay 1-22, Mason Clarke 1-29) by seven wickets (DLS).