Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced a record-breaking knock in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka A, scoring a 94 off just 29 balls and smashing a 21-year-old List A record with an 11-ball fifty.
The 15-year-old India A batter went past Sri Lanka’s Kaushalya Weeraratne, who had held the previous fastest fifty record (12 balls since 2005).
Sooryavanshi fell short of a century after being dismissed for 94, with India A on 132, but his innings included 10 fours and 8 sixes. The young batter, who is expected to make his India debut later this month, was close to registering a joint-fastest List A hundred before getting out. Sooryavanshi continued his explosive form with a blistering innings against Sri Lanka A, racing to his fifty with 10 boundaries including five sixes, and dominating the bowling from the start. After a quiet league stage, he came out aggressively, scoring 2 sixes and 3 fours in his first five deliveries.
He repeatedly targeted the leg side against pace before shifting to extra-cover shots when the field was adjusted. His clean hitting, especially three sixes over extra cover and a couple down the ground off Dulaj Samuditha, stood out as he reached a 94 off 29 balls.
Sooryavanshi was close to matching the fastest List A century record but fell short of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s 29-ball ton. The 15-year-old from Bihar, already on the radar after IPL performances and a T20 call-up for India’s Ireland and England tour, once again underlined his exceptional talent despite earlier on-field tensions in the tournament.
