Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made Sri Lanka A players pay as he unleashed the beast in him in the 50-overs tri-series final at Dambulla on Sunday.
After Sri Lanka A won the toss and put India A into bat, Sooryavanshi punished them right from the outset. His fifty came off just 11 balls, which is a record in List A cricket. However, the 15-year-old batsman from Bihar missed out on another major record, that of the fastest century in List A.
He fell for 94 off just 29 balls and hit 10 boundaries and 8 sixes. If he had not fallen off that 29th ball and instead had got a six, he would have become the joint-fastest century-maker in List A.
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Aussie Jake Fraser-McGurk has the record for that, off 29 balls. Playing for South Australia, he reached the historic feat against Tasmania in 2023-2024. South Africa legend AB de Villiers holds the record in ODIs off just 31 balls against the West Indies in the 2015 World Cup, which was hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
Sooryavanshi has allayed all fears
Sooryavanshi came into the match quite vengeful after what transpired in the previous game between these two sides earlier in the tri-nation series. His output until then was not in line with his reputation, and he was taunted by Sri Lankan cricketers, after which he gave it back with interest, verbally that is. It particularly became ugly after Sri Lanka A beat India A in the Super Over in that match. Sooryavanshi showed no restraint in his confrontation with Sri Lankan players.
Anyway, on Sunday morning, he unleashed his fury on the Sri Lanka A bowlers. Fast bowlers or spinners, he spared no one, as if he had come into the match with only one purpose: to make the hosts pay for their behaviour that day. It was a much-needed innings from his own point of view as well. After failures in his previous four innings — not a single fifty to speak of — there were concerns about him, whether he was ready for international games yet. Sooryavanshi, also the youngest in world cricket to score a List A hundred, allayed all those fears big time. He, along with captain Tilak Varma, will fly to Ireland for a T20I series after the tri-series final. It will be Sooryavanshi’s first in national colours. Thereafter, the team will fly to England for five T20Is.