India’s Under-19 World Cup campaign kicks off on Thursday in southern Africa, with all eyes on 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is on the verge of rewriting history. Suryavanshi needs just six more runs to surpass Virat Kohli’s record of 978 runs in Youth ODIs, a tally Kohli achieved in 25 innings. Remarkably, Suryavanshi has amassed 973 runs in only 18 innings at an average of 54.05, including three centuries and four half-centuries, showcasing a meteoric rise in age-group cricket.

The young opener is also only 27 runs shy of 1,000 Youth ODI runs, which would make him the third-fastest Indian to reach the milestone, after Shubman Gill and Unmukt Chand. His fearless batting has already turned heads in India Under-19, India A, and the IPL, underlining his potential as a future star.

India, five-time champions, begin their campaign against the USA in Bulawayo, before facing Bangladesh and New Zealand. Placed in Group B, the squad boasts formidable talent, including skipper Ayush Mhatre, vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra, and Asia Cup top-scorer Aaron George, supported by pacer Deepesh Devendran. With Suryavanshi’s record-breaking chase in focus, India will look to extend their dominance and target a sixth Under-19 World Cup title. (With inputs from Agencies)