Mhatre's Masterclass: India U19 Crush New Zealand by 7 Wickets in Rain-Hit Thriller!

In a dominant display at the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 in Bulawayo, India U19 secured a comfortable seven-wicket victory over New Zealand U19, maintaining their unbeaten run and topping Group B.

The match at Queens Sports Club was reduced to 37 overs per side due to two rain delays. India captain Ayush Mhatre won the toss and elected to bowl first, a decision that paid off handsomely as the bowlers dismantled the New Zealand batting lineup.

New Zealand were bundled out for a modest 135 in 36.2 overs. Callum Samson top-scored with 37 runs, while Jacob Cotter offered some resistance. India's bowling attack was led by RS Ambrish with impressive figures of 4 wickets, supported by Henil Patel who claimed 3. Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, and Mohamed Enaan also chipped in with crucial breakthroughs, reducing New Zealand to 69/6 at one stage and 22/5 early on.

Chasing 136 in 37 overs, India lost few wickets thanks to sparkling knocks from opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi and captain Ayush Mhatre, propelling the team to victory. The win marks India's second consecutive triumph after earlier successes against USA and Bangladesh, both rain-affected.

India's playing XI featured Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Ayush Mhatre (c), Aaron George, Vedant Trivedi, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Kanishk Chouhan, RS Ambrish, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, and Mohamed Enaan. New Zealand fielded Aryan Mann, Hugo Bogue, Tom Jones (c), Snehith Reddy, Marco Alpe (wk), Jacob Cotter, Jaskaran Sandhu, Callum Samson, Flynn Morey, Selwin Sanjay, and Mason Clarke.

Both teams had already qualified for the Super Six stage, but India finished atop Group B. New Zealand needed a win to edge out Bangladesh but fell short in this Group B finale.