The much-anticipated ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026 commenced on Thursday, January 15 with the five-time champions, India taking USA in the first Group A clash at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Winning the toss, India U19 captain Ayush Mhatre decided to bowl first, thus inviting USA to put score on the board.
The decision proved pivotal as the Utkarsh Srivastava-led USA side were bundled out at the score of 107, courtesy of a five-wicket haul from young pace sensation Henil Patel. The Gujarat-born wreaked havoc of the USA lineup as he first removed Amrinder Gill, followed by Deepesh Devendran removing Sahil Garg. The young prodigy in Patel then picked wickets of wicketkeeper Arjun Mahesh, skipper Utkarsh, Sabrish Prasad and Rishabh Shimpi to complete a fifer.
Top performance for Henil Patel in India’s U19 CWC 2026 opener
The Gujarat cricketer finished with figures of 5/16 in his seven-over spell, thus registering third best figures in the U19 World Cup among Indian players. Speaking at the mid-innings interaction, Henil looked back at his brilliant spell stating, “I had a look at the wicket, felt I would get good movement off 4-5m length, that’s what I concentrated on.”
“I like pitches with movement and bounce. The preparations have been good, I was constantly talking to the coaches and their contribution has been excellent. All of them are experienced, they’ve played in WCs before, they share it with us and make sure we’re under no pressure, that allows us to go out there and execute,” he added.
Here is all you need to know about Henil Patel:
Full name: Henil Patel
Date of Birth: February 28, 2007
Age: 18 years
Playing Role: Bowler
Batting style: Right hand Bat
Bowling style: Right arm medium
Teams: India Under-19s, Gujarat Under-19s
After a flying start with the ball in the U19 World Cup, India will look to chase the 108-run target and kickstart their campaign with a massive win. The India U19 side, who are placed in Group A, will next take on Bangladesh on January 17 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo.
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