ICC U-19 World Cup 2026: Henil Patel’s fifer headlines as India win by 6 wickets

By Correspondent On Jan 15, 2026

IND U-19 vs USA U-19 Match Result: In a rain-interrupted encounter at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, the defending champions, India U19, kickstarted their 2026 World Cup campaign with a clinical 6-wicket victory over the USA. While the chase saw some early jitters, a bowling masterclass from Henil Patel ensured India stayed in total control from the first ball.

India begin their #U19WorldCup campaign with a win over USA 🙌#USAvIND 📝: https://t.co/3N373K82a6 pic.twitter.com/zKoNdwSB16

— ICC (@ICC) January 15, 2026

Henil Patel’s five-wicket haul

After India won the toss and elected to field under heavy overcast skies, the stage was set for the seamers. Henil Patel turned the match into a personal highlight reel, picking up the first five-wicket haul of the tournament.

Patel removed Amrinder Gill in the second over and quickly followed it by bowling the USA captain, Utkarsh Srivastava, for a duck.

He returned in his second spell to clean up the tail, finishing with remarkable figures of 5/16 in 7 overs. Deepesh Devendran and Vaibhav Suryavanshi chipped in with a wicket each, while some sharp fielding led to a crucial run-out of Adit Kappa.

A Shaky Start and Rain Delays

Chasing a modest 108, India’s innings was twice halted by rain and lightning, leading to a revised target of 96 in 37 overs.

The highly anticipated World Cup debut of Vaibhav Suryavanshi ended in disappointment as he was cleaned up by Ritvik Appidi for just 2 runs.

India were momentarily in a spot of bother at 29/3 after Captain Ayush Mhatre (19) and Vedant Trivedi (2) fell shortly after the rain resumed.

Kundu and Malhotra Steady the Ship

Wicketkeeper-batter Abhigyan Kundu stepped up when the pressure was mounting. Partnering with Vihaan Malhotra (18), Kundu anchored the chase with a composed 32 off 28 balls, featuring back-to-back boundaries that released all the tension. By the time Malhotra was dismissed, India were only 26 runs away from victory. Kundu and Kanishk Chouhan eventually guided the “Blue Colts” home with more than 18 overs to spare.