U19 World Cup: RS Ambrish's fiery four-wicket haul, followed by Ayush Mhatre's timely resurgence, led India to a commanding seven-wicket (DLS) victory over New Zealand, securing top spot in Group B in the ongoing ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo on Saturday.

Mhatre's tumultuous 53, paired with Vaibhav Suryavanshi's 40, disassembled New Zealand's bowling attack, chasing down a revised target of 130 with ease.

India's chase of 130 was a quickfire affair, with the team romping home in just 13.3 overs. Aaron George's World Cup debut was cut short, bowled for 7 off 6 balls by Mason Clarke.

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Mhatre joined Suryavanshi at No. 3 and unleashed a ferocious counterattack, stitching a blazing 76-run partnership off just 39 balls. Jaskaran Sandhu halted the onslaught for some time as he removed Suryavanshi, who struck an entertaining 40 off 23 deliveries.

Mhatre's dismissal by Selwin Sanjay didn't deter India, as Vihaan Malhotra and Vedant Trivedi calmly sealed the win with an unbeaten 29-run stand.

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Earlier, New Zealand U-19's innings was cut short as they were pulverised to 135 all out in damp conditions, despite late resistance from Callum Samson (37) and Selwin Sanjay (28).

India's bowlers, led by RS Ambrish (4/29) and Henil Patel (3/23), exploited the wet conditions to restrict the Kiwis