India U19 vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra’s unbeaten 107 rescued India after a top-order collapse and powered them to 352/8 against Zimbabwe in the U19 World Cup Super Six. Fans praised his composure, hailing him as a future star.
India U19 vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra recorded the Boys in Blue’s first U19 World Cup 2026 century in the Super Six clash against the hosts Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Tuesday, January 27.
After being put into bat first by Zimbabwe skipper Simbarashe Mudzengerere, Team India posted a commanding total of 352/8 and set a 353-run target for the hosts to chase. Vihaan Malhotra led the India U19 batting with an unbeaten 107 off 101 balls, including seven fours. Abhigyan Kundu (61) and opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi (52) contributed to the team’s batting with half-centuries.
Khilan Patel (31) and RS Ambrish (28) made crucial contributions in the lower order, ensuring that India posted a mammoth total and maintained momentum throughout the innings. The Boys in Blue are unbeaten in the tournament so far, maintaining their top position in the Super Six stage. Zimbabwe, in response, faces an uphill task of chasing down the hefty target set by Team India.
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After Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s fiery knock at the top of the order, India collapsed to 130/4 in 16.2 overs. Thereafter, Abhigyan Kundu and Vihaan Malhotra stepped up for the side when they were needed the most and formed a crucial 113-run stand for the fifth wicket, frustrating Zimbabwe bowlers before the former’s dismissal at 243/5.
Thereafter, Kanishk Chouhan joined Malhotra to carry on India’s innings, but had a short stay at the crease as he was dismissed for 3 at 251/6. The onus entirely fell on Vihaan Malhotra to steady India’s ship.
The vice-captain stood tall for the team while getting solid support from RS Ambrish, with whom he shared a crucial 52-run stand for the sixth wicket to take India past the 300-run mark, and then a 47-run partnership with Khilan Patel to help the side cross the 350-run mark.
Despite the pressure of leading India’s batting, Vihaan Malhotra remained calm and composed, rotating the strike efficiently and completing his century in 104 balls. His innings provided stability at a crucial stage of India’s innings, helping India post a commanding total of 352/8, the fourth-highest by the team in the tournament so far.
This was a much-needed century for Vihaan Malhotra after a string of low scores in the first three matches of the tournament against the USA, Bangladesh, and New Zealand in the Group stage. The innings not only boosted his confidence but also reassured Team India’s batting depth in the Super Six stage of the marquee U19 event.
‘Vihaan Malhotra Deserves More Attention’
Despite the focus being on Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Malhotra, who are already U19 superstars, Vihaan Malhotra’s century did not go unnoticed by fans and cricket enthusiasts, as social media, especially X (formerly Twitter) was buzzing over his composed innings that paved the way for India’s commanding total on the board.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), fans and cricket enthusiasts hailed the youngster as the ‘future of Indian cricket’ while lauding his calmness under pressure and maturity beyond his age. Many pointed out that Vihaan Malhotra does not get the recognition he deserves compared to other high-profile youngsters.
Several RCB supporters highlighted his all-round impact and expressed their optimism about his future with the franchise as well as Team India, with some even calling him the next big name to watch out for.
Vihaan Malhotra was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for INR 30 lakh. at the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Vihaan made his Youth ODI debut in 2025 and has been in impressive form since then, aggregating 662 runs, including two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 50.92 in 16 matches.
