NEW DELHI: India’s Under-19 World Cup campaign begins on Thursday in southern Africa with the spotlight firmly on a 14-year-old prodigy who is already knocking on the doors of history. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the most talked-about name in age-group cricket over the past year, is on the verge of surpassing Virat Kohli’s Youth ODI run tally as India open their tournament against USA in Zimbabwe and Namibia.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Sooryavanshi needs just six runs to go past Kohli’s 978 runs in Under-19 ODIs, a record the former India captain accumulated in 25 innings. What makes the moment striking is the pace at which the teenager has risen. Sooryavanshi has piled up 973 runs in only 18 innings at a staggering average of 54.05, already boasting three centuries and four half-centuries. Kohli, by contrast, averaged 46.57 with one hundred and six fifties at the same level.

The opener is also only 27 runs away from completing 1,000 runs in Youth ODI cricket. Should he get there, Sooryavanshi will become just the seventh Indian to reach the landmark and the third fastest, after Shubman Gill and Unmukt Chand. The numbers underline a meteoric rise that has seen him become a household name through his exploits not just for India Under-19 and India A, but also in the IPL, where his fearless batting has already turned heads.Most runs for India in Youth ODIs

India start U19 World Cup campaign vs USAIndia, five-time champions of the tournament, start as overwhelming favourites as they chase a record-extending sixth title. Champions in 2000, 2008, 2012, 2018 and 2022, they are looking to bounce back after finishing runners-up to Australia in the previous edition. The Under-19 World Cup has long been a launchpad for future greats, with names such as Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Steve Smith all emerging from this stage.This Indian squad looks formidable on paper, having won 13 of their last 16 matches, including series victories in England, Australia and South Africa. Alongside Sooryavanshi, skipper Ayush Mhatre, vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra and Asia Cup top-scorer Aaron George form the batting core, while pacer Deepesh Devendran could be an X-factor with his awkward action.Placed in Group B with New Zealand, Bangladesh and USA, India begin against the Americans before facing Bangladesh on January 17 and New Zealand on January 24 in Bulawayo.