Just days after finding himself at the centre of an on-field controversy against Sri Lanka A, teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced the perfect response — with his bat.
The 15-year-old left the cricketing world stunned in the final of the Tri-Nation Series, hammering 94 runs off just 28 deliveries against Sri Lanka A. Although he fell six runs short of a century, Sooryavanshi rewrote the record books by smashing the fastest fifty in List A cricket history, reaching the milestone in only 11 balls.
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The innings carried extra significance given the events of the teams’ previous meeting. During the round-robin stage, tensions boiled over after India A lost a Super Over to Sri Lanka A. Reports suggested that some Sri Lankan players had provoked Sooryavanshi and teammate Suryansh Shedge, leading to a brief altercation involving the young batter.
The incident sparked debate across the cricketing community, with former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar suggesting that Sooryavanshi should have been left out of the next match to send a message that physical confrontations have no place in the game.
However, the teenager’s latest performance shifted the focus firmly back to cricket.
Opening the batting after India A were put in to bat, Sooryavanshi launched an extraordinary assault on the Sri Lankan bowling attack. Boundaries flowed from the very first over as he raced to his fifty in just 11 deliveries, surpassing the previous List A record of a 12-ball half-century held by Sri Lanka’s Kaushalya Weeraratne.
His breathtaking knock featured 10 fours and eight sixes, with bowlers struggling to contain his fearless strokeplay. At one stage, the youngster appeared destined to create even more history. Requiring only six more runs to reach a century, he came within touching distance of matching Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk’s record for the fastest List A hundred.
Sri Lanka A captain Sahan Arachchige eventually ended the carnage, dismissing Sooryavanshi for 94 in the ninth over.
Even Manjrekar was left impressed by the youngster’s exploits. Reacting to the innings, he joked that Sooryavanshi seems to view 50-over cricket as a format where he can cause even more destruction because only two fielders are allowed outside the circle during the first 10 overs.
For Sri Lanka A, it was a painful reminder of the teenager’s talent. For Sooryavanshi, it was the ultimate answer — not through words, but through a record-breaking innings that once again underlined why he is regarded as one of India’s most exciting young cricket prospects.
