ICC U-19 World Cup: Vihaan’s stunning four-for leads India to turnaround win over Bangladesh

Bulawayo: Vihaan Malhotra took a four-wicket haul as India won its second consecutive match at the ICC U-19 World Cup 2026 against Bangladesh by 18 runs (DLS method) at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday.

After winning the toss and opted to bowl first, Bangladesh made early inroads into the Indian batting lineup. Al Fahad (five for 38) struck twice in the third over as India was reduced to 53 for three. Skipper Ayush Mhatre’s poor run of form continued as he fell for just six.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Abhigyan Kundu then dug in on what was a tricky wicket to bat on. Suryavanshi started in his typically belligerent style, reaching his fifty in 30 balls, but then slowed down considerably before eventually falling for 72 from 67 deliveries.

Kundu, meanwhile, struggled to find rhythm but battled hard for his 80 from 112 balls. Kanishk Chouhan played some nice strokes either side of a rain delay that saw the game initially reduced to 49 overs, but his dismissal triggered a lower-order slowdown that saw India reach 239 all out with two balls remaining.

Deepesh Devendran struck in the very first over of Bangladesh’s chase, dismissing Zawad Abrar at deep third, but Bangladesh batted positively in the PowerPlay to make a positive start to its pursuit. Rifat Beg and captain Azizul Hakim both played some attractive strokes, and though Beg fell for 37, it was well-placed at 90 for two from 17.2 overs when rain intervened again.

A lengthier delay followed, and by the time play could resume again, the innings had been further reduced to 29 overs, and Bangladesh needed 75 from the remaining 70 balls.

This steeper chase meant that Bangladesh was forced to play its shots in search of a victory, and that proved its undoing. Malhotra was the chief beneficiary of this aggression, bowling a stump-to-stump line that baited batters to hole out.

Hakim battled valiantly to reach his fifty, but his dismissal to Khilan Patel spelled the end of any hopes of a Bangladesh victory.

India’s next match is against New Zealand at the same venue on  January 24. Agencies

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