In the match played between India and South Africa Under-19s, one name dominated the headlines: Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
At just 14 years old, this young batsman displayed such explosive batting that the match swung in India’s favor right from the start.
Chasing a target of 246 runs, India got off to a very aggressive start, led by captain Vaibhav himself.
Vaibhav’s explosive batting changed the match
Opening the innings, Vaibhav Suryavanshi attacked the bowlers from the very first over. He smashed 68 runs off just 24 balls, including 10 towering sixes and one four.
Remarkably, he completed his half-century in just 19 balls. His opening partner, Aaron George, scored 20 runs but was dismissed early. Despite this, India maintained a strong hold on the match.
Earlier, South Africa Under-19s, batting first, scored 245 runs in 50 overs. They had a decent start, but no batsman could play a big innings. Jason Rowles held the innings together, scoring a magnificent 114 runs off 113 balls. Daniel Bosman contributed 31 runs, but the other batsmen failed to make an impact.
For India, Kishan Singh was the most successful bowler, taking 4 wickets in 8.3 overs. RS Ambrish took 2 wickets, while Deepesh Devendran, Kanishk Chauhan, and Khilan Patel took one wicket each.
Rain, DLS, and an easy win for India
The match was interrupted several times due to bad weather and lightning. As a result, the DLS method was applied, and India’s innings was limited to 27 overs. Despite this, India made the target look easy.
The team chased down the target in 23.2 overs, scoring 176 runs and winning the match by 8 wickets. Vedant Trivedi remained unbeaten on 31 runs, while Abhigyan Kundu scored an unbeaten 48 runs off 42 balls. This series is part of the preparations for the Under-19 World Cup, which will begin on January 15 in Zimbabwe and Namibia. Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s performance once again proves that he is one of the most exciting young players at this level.
Last year, he also grabbed attention by scoring the fastest century in Under-19 cricket against England.
