Aaron George, Mohamed Enaan become first Malayalis to lift Under-19 World Cup title

In all of India's five earlier ICC Men's Under-19 World Cup wins, starting with 2000, there has never been a Malayali player.

But the latest triumph in Harare has made two Malayali boys World Champions. Aaron George and Mohamed Enaan are the two Malayalis in the squad led by Ayush Mhatre.

Hyderabad-Malayali Aaron is a right-hand batter, while Enaan, who is a specialist leg spinner and a handy middle-order batter, hails from Thrissur district.

"I think we batted them out of the game," said Aaron immediately after India's 100-run win over England in the final. Vaibhav Suryavanshi's masterful 175 off 80 had powered India to a heavy total of 411/9.

Enaan played a part in India's 7-wicket win over New Zealand in the early stages of the tournament, but Aaron was a significant member of the squad.

A composed No 3 batter, Aaron stepped up to the role of the opener whenever asked to, especially as skipper Mhatre struggled for form. His best contribution came in the semifinal against Afghanistan, where he scored a brilliant 115 to help India to a 7-wicket win.

Aaron was a late entrant to the Under-19 national squad, making an impression in the U-19 Asia Cup in Dubai. Though India lost to Pakistan in the final, Aaron scored a hat-trick of half-centuries. Enaan was not part of the Asia Cup squad but had scored an unbeaten century in an internal tri-series featuring two national sides and Afghanistan, ahead of the World Cup.