Who is Henil Patel? India U19 pacer who claimed five-wicket haul vs USA on World Cup debut

Henil Patel led a fierce bowling display and took a five-wicket haul as India dismissed the USA for just 107 runs in 35.2 overs in their ICC Under-19 World Cup opener on Thursday. The right-arm seamer took remarkable figures of 5/16 in seven overs, including a maiden, as he tore through the US middle order after India opted to bowl in overcast weather conditions. Henil made his mark in his first match by getting the better of Vihaan Malhotra from Amrinder Gill (1). Soon after, the tall and fast Deepesh Devendran chipped in by catching Sahil Garg (16) to Henil at third man, leaving the USA 29/2 after nine overs.

Henil then took charge of the innings with a devastating double, dismissing skipper Utkarsh Srivastava for a five-ball duck and then dismissing wicketkeeper Arjun Mahesh (16) in the same over, which saw the USA fall to 35/4.

Henil Patel brings up the top five #U19WorldCup in 2026 style

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He quickly returned to the action and coaxed a loose swing from Mahesh, who was caught at third man for his third wicket, and the USA never managed to recover from that collapse.

Leg-spinner Khilan Patel made an immediate impact on debut, trapping Amogh Arepally (3) as the USA fell to 39/5 in the 16th over.

Nitish Sudini provided some resistance by counter-attacking 36 off 52 balls, hitting four boundaries and adding 30 runs with Adnit Jhamb (18) for the sixth wicket, helping the USA breach the 50-run mark.

But Henil came back to clear the tail and dismissed Sabrish Prasad (7) and Rishabh Shimpi (0) to complete his five-wicket haul as the USA were bowled out for 35.2 overs.

Who is Henil Patel?

Henil was born on 28 February 2007 in Valsad, Gujarat. His father introduced him to cricket at a young age and after making his mark in domestic tournaments, he caught the attention of Gujarat U19 selectors.

Henil has played in 3 Youth Tests and 12 Youth ODIs so far and has taken a total of 28 wickets. He also represented India in the U19 Asia Cup last month, securing five wickets in four matches.

India’s target was set at 96 runs in 37 overs after a rain delay and the score was 21 after four overs. Abhigyan Kundu, who was undefeated in 42 of 41 balls, carried the team to victory with the remaining 118 balls using the DLS method.

The India chase was delayed by rain and when play resumed, 14-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi (2) was dismissed cheaply and bowled by Ritvik Appidi (2/24 in 5 overs) in the third over.

Appidi restricted Suryavanshi’s field with a length ball, causing the young batsman to move down the wicket but cut the ball towards the stumps.

Skipper Ayush Mhatre had already hit two boundaries and looked in good shape until rain caused another stoppage. At this point India needed just 87 runs from 46 overs, but the DLS method changed the target when play was restarted after a long break. After returning to the field, India quickly lost Mhatre (19) and Vedant Trivedi (2), followed by vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra with 18.

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