Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed a 39-ball half-century on day three of the first Youth Test between India and England Under-19s at Beckenham.
Suryavanshi entered the Youth Test series in fine form, having top-scored with 355 runs at an average of 71 and a strike rate of 174.01 in India’s 3-2 win over England in the preceding U19 ODIs.
Two of his knocks stood out: a 31-ball 86 in the rain-curtailed third ODI at Northampton, where India chased down 268 in a 40-over match with 5.3 overs to spare, and a blistering 52-ball century (eventually finishing on 143 off 78 balls) – the fastest in Youth ODI history – during the fourth ODI at Worcester.
In the first innings of the U19 Test series opener, he fell for just 14 despite a characteristically blazing start. However, he rebounded swiftly in the second innings with an explosive fifty.
After India secured a first-innings lead of 101, powered by captain Ayush Mhatre’s debut hundred, Suryavanshi spearheaded the charge with a 39-ball fifty. His innings lasted just five more balls before Archie Vaughan dismissed him, leaving India at 109-2 in 19.1 overs. True to his style, Suryavanshi batted at a strike rate north of 100, hammering nine fours and a six. India reached stumps on day three at 128-3, with Vaughan picking up all three wickets.
1st Youth Test, England Under-19 vs India Under-19
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This was Suryavanshi’s second fifty-plus score in Youth Tests, with the first one coming against Australia U19 last September. On that occasion, he smashed a 58-ball century, also a record for the fastest hundred in U19 Test history.
Also read: Vaibhav Suryavanshi breaks India record with maiden Youth Test wicket
The 14-year-old prodigy’s flair for quick scoring extends beyond U19 cricket. In just his third IPL match this year, he became the tournament’s youngest centurion. His 35-ball century in that match also stands as the second-fastest IPL hundred, narrowly trailing Chris Gayle’s record 30-ball ton from 2013.
