Hrishikesh Kanitkar Lauds Role Of VVS Laxman, CoE In Shaping Future Of Indian Cricket After Sixth U19 Crown

The Indian U19 Cricket Team dominated their English counterparts in the final of the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 in Harare, Zimbabwe, extending their record number of title wins to six with an impressive performance.

India amassed a monumental total of 411 runs, thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s incredible 175-run innings, before dismissing the young Englishmen for 311, securing a 100-run victory.

Head coach of the Indian U19 team, Hrishikesh Kanitkar, lauded the special bunch of boys that continued a fabled tradition in Indian cricket.

“It’s a great feeling and I’ve been here before, but for these boys, it’s really going to be special and after the fight that the England team put up, I think it was a fabulous game and from such a situation, it’s great,”

Kanitkar touched up on the focus the side lays on managing the outfit and the future development of the young stars, and expressed his delight on the dividends the work has led to.

“It is one of the major roles we play. That’s what we do at the Centre of Excellence,” he evealed.

“And so we are happy to see the development. The trophy is obviously, we play for the trophies. But the development is there and that’s happening. ”

Kanitkar also paid special mention to the legendary VVS Laxman’s contributions towards the development of the side and the future of Indian cricket.

“And Laxman’s here with me who heads the CoE. So, you know, it’s good to see. It’s a good feeling. Just quiet. We’ll just have our dinner and go back to sleep.

Ambarish RS picked up a three-fer in the finals while Deepesh Devendran and Kanishk Chouhan removed a couple of wickets each to limit the English chase.

Mhatre joins an exclusive club comprising the legendary Virat Kohli, Mohamed Kaif, Unmukth Chand, Yash Dhull and Pritvi Shaw to lead the U19 team to glory in the age-category showpiece.