He registered third-best figures by an Indian in U19 World Cup history.
India pace prodigy Henil Patel credited South African legend Dale Steyn for his stellar five-wicket haul that led to a six-wicket (DLS) victory over the USA in the Men’s Under-19 World Cup 2026 opener at the Queens Sports Club.
Speaking to ICC Digital during an interview, Henil Patel shared the source of his aggression and how he prepares for each match.
“What I take from Dale Steyn is his aggression. His bowling was so good that no batter could face him easily. He was very tough to play against. I go in with the mindset of getting the batter out within three or four deliveries. It’s all about taking early wickets. I keep that same mindset and stay calm,” Patel said.
The 18-year-old ran through the USA batting lineup, returning the figures of 5/18 and helping his side bowl them out for a below-par total of 107. His figures also marked the third-best bowling performance by an Indian at any edition of the men’s U-19 World Cup, behind Kamal Passi’s six for 23 against Zimbabwe in 2012 and Anukul Roy’s five for 14 against Papua New Guinea in 2018.
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Henil Patel accounted for the wickets of Amrinder Gill (edged the first ball to slip), skipper Utkarsh Srivastava (bowled), Arjun Mahesh (caught at deep third), Sabrish Prasad (caught at backward point), and Rishabh Shimpi (bowled). His spell gave the five-time champions a perfect start to the campaign. Apart from him, Deepesh Devendran, RS Ambrish, Khilan Patel, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi picked a wicket apiece.
India’s rain-affected chase had some early bumps as they lost captain Ayush Mhatre (19) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (two) early on. But Abhigyan Kundu once again rescued India U19, scoring an unbeaten 42 off 41, alongside Kanishk Chouhan, achieving the DLS target of 96 in 17.2 overs and six wickets to spare.
India aims for Group B dominance after this strong start. Next up, they will face Bangladesh U19 on January 17 and New Zealand U19 on January 24 at the same venue.
| Best bowling by India player at Men’s U19 World Cup | |||
| [Player | Bowling figures | Opposition | Year |
| Kamal Passi | 6/23 | v Zimbabwe | 2012 |
| Anukul Roy | 5/14 | v PNG | 2018 |
| Henil Patel | 5/16 | v USA | 2026 |
| Ravikant Singh | 5/21 | v PNG | 2012 |
| Vicky Ostwal | 5/28 | v South Africa | 2022 |
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