India's vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra slammed a stunning century in the IND vs ZIM ICC U19 World Cup 2026 clash on Tuesday. Malhotra's effort was India's first ton of the tournament and came at a crucial time with the India Colts having lost their top order early. The 19-year-old all-rounder is one of India's biggest talents for the future, and was picked up by RCB for ₹30 Lakh in the IPL 2026 auction.
Malhotra walked into bat at the fall of Vaibhav Suryavanshi's wicket in the 11th over of the innings. India Colts slipped to 130/4 with 34 overs left in the contest. The 19-year-old took a cautious approach to his innings, building a partnership with Abhigyan Kundu.
Malhotra scored at a fair clip, striking at close to a run a ball throughout his innings. The left-hander reached his half-century in 57 balls in the 31st over. Even after losing Kundu and RS Ambrish, Malhotra kept his calm and kept plucking the gaps to keep the scoreboard ticking.
It was only in the last few overs that he unleased himself. An inside edge handed him a well deserved century - India's first of the ICC U19 World Cup 2026.
Malhotra joins an elite group of talents to have scored a century for India at the U19 World Cup. The star studded list includes Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Malhotra had earlier spun a web to guide India to victory over rivals Bangladesh in the group stage. The 19-year-old has stepped up with both bat and ball for the Men in Blue in the tournament. RCB scouted his talents early and bought him for ₹30 Lakh in the IPL 2026 auction. Should he continue his U19 World Cup exploits, it would be a real steal for the defending champions.
