India U-19s go beast mode, crush Young Lions XI by 231 runs in tour opener

India’s Under-19 team kicked off their England tour with a bang, absolutely steamrolling the Young Lions Invitational XI in their first warm-up match at Loughborough. The young guns from India didn’t just win — they dominated — putting up a crazy 442 on the board before wrapping up the hosts for just 211. That’s a 231-run statement win, and boy, it was fun to watch (or follow, at least).

Batting first, India U-19s were in no mood to chill. From the get-go, they went hard. Harvansh Pangalia led the charge like a man on a mission, smashing 103 off just 52 balls. That knock had 8 fours and 9 sixes — pure fireworks. He got solid support from Kanishk Chouhan (79 off 67), Rahul Kumar (73 off 60), and RS Ambrish (72 off 47). Basically, England’s bowlers were taken to the cleaners, and there was no stopping the run machine.

Even the extras got generous — 24 of them helped India’s cause. It was one of those innings where the scoreboard just wouldn’t stop ticking. Every time you blinked, another boundary was up.

Then came the chase, and well… it wasn’t really a chase. The Young Lions never looked in it. Wickets kept tumbling, and though their skipper Will Bennison tried to fight the lone battle with a gutsy 103 off 105 balls, it wasn’t enough. Only one other batter, Owen Smith (28), managed to hang around for a bit. The rest? Gone before you could pronounce “Loughborough.”

India’s bowlers did a neat job too. Deepesh picked up 3/33, Vihaan Malhotra was super economical with 2/9, and Yudhajit Guha, Pushpak and others chipped in as the English side folded for 211 in just over 41 overs.

This kind of performance from India U-19s right in their first game is exactly what you want to see before a big series. The batting looked fearless, the bowling was sharp, and the energy on the field was top-tier. Safe to say, the boys are here not just to tour, but to take over.

For the Young Lions, it’s time to hit the reset button. The talent’s there, no doubt, but they’ll need to regroup and come back stronger if they want to level up with this pumped-up Indian squad.

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