India Under-19 wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu starred with the bat to lead his side to victory in the Youth ODI series opener against Australia Under-19 on Sunday (September 21).
Batting first, Australia Under-19 got off to a torrid start, losing openers Alex Turner and Simon Budge for ducks, with Kishan Kumar giving India Under-19 the breakthroughs. They gradually slipped further, losing half their side with 90 on the board.
The hosts’ ultimate resistance came from No. 8 John James, who struck an unbeaten 77 not out off 68 – laced with six fours and a six – to help Australia U-19 reach 225-9, a position they would have taken with both hands after the collapse. Henil Patel was the pick of the Indian bowlers, finishing with 3-38.
Chasing the total, India got a familiarly rapid start from the pugnacious 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi. When he fell for 38 off 22 balls, India U19 were 50-1 after five overs. Suryavanshi holds the record for the second-fastest century in the IPL and the fastest Youth ODI hundred, both achieved in 2025.
India U19 soon lost their second wicket, captain Ayush Mhatre (6), without adding a run. Mhatre, who landed a deal with the Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2025, was their third-highest run-getter in a dismal season for the franchise. He also scored a century on his U19 Test debut in July. The visitors then lost Vihaan Malhotra for nine, slipping to 75-3.
Abhigyan Kundu's career-best 87* guides India U19 to victory
India U19’s chase from that point was spearheaded by their wicketkeeper, Kundu. Together with Vedant Trivedi, he forged an unbeaten 152-run partnership to win the match. Kundu finished unbeaten on 87 off 74 balls, hitting eight fours and five sixes, while Vedant made 61 not out off 69 deliveries, with eight fours. The tourists gunned down the target with seven wickets and 117 balls remaining.
1st Youth ODI, Australia Under-19 vs India Under-19
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That was Kundu’s career-best Youth ODI score, with his only other fifty (53 not out) coming against the same opponents last year in Puducherry, India. He entered the series with 166 runs at an average of 41.50 in two Youth Tests against England Under-19 in July. His scores were 90, 11, 0, and 65.
Kundu rose through the ranks of Mumbai’s domestic cricket system, representing their U19 and U23 sides.
The loss was the 14th instance of Australia U19 losing with at least 100 balls remaining. Seven of these have come against India U19, with the most recent before this occurring in Puducherry last year – the same match where Kundu scored his maiden fifty. Their heaviest defeat batting first remains their loss to Pakistan U19 in 2007, when they were beaten with 230 balls remaining.
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