In a remarkable display of talent, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi has made headlines by scoring an incredible 175 runs off just 80 balls during the Under-19 World Cup final against England. This dazzling performance took place at the Harare Sports Club in Zimbabwe, where he showcased his explosive batting skills, hitting a staggering 15 sixes and 15 fours, all while maintaining a phenomenal strike rate of 218.75.
To put his achievement into context, Suryavanshi's initial 24 runs came from his first 24 balls, meaning he accelerated dramatically to score the remaining 151 runs in a mere 56 deliveries. His time at the crease lasted for 126 minutes before England bowler Manny Lumsden ended his innings in the 26th over, resulting in India's score at that point being 251 for 3 wickets. Lumsden utilized a clever change of pace, leading Suryavanshi to glove an attempted slog sweep to England's captain and wicketkeeper, Thomas Rew.
As Suryavanshi walked off the field, several England players congratulated him with handshakes, acknowledging the brilliance of his innings. India ultimately posted a formidable total of 411 runs for 9 wickets after their 50 overs, marking the fifth highest score in the history of the Under-19 World Cup and setting a record for finals, surpassing Australia's previous record of 253 for 7 against India in the 2024 final.
With this impressive performance, Suryavanshi now boasts a total of 439 runs in just seven innings during the tournament, achieving an average of 62.71, which places him four runs ahead of Afghanistan's Faisal Khan as the leading run-scorer of the World Cup.
A few noteworthy highlights from Suryavanshi's innings include:
- His score stands as the highest ever recorded in an Under-19 World Cup final, eclipsing Unmukt Chand's 111 not out for India against Australia in the 2012 final.
- This innings ranks as the ninth highest score in the history of youth One Day Internationals (ODIs); only South Africa's Jorich van Schalkwyk has scored a double century with his 215 runs against Zimbabwe.
- Suryavanshi's performance ranks as the sixth-highest individual score across all U19 World Cup matches.
- His record for the most sixes in a youth ODI innings (15) surpasses his previous record of 14 sixes against the United Arab Emirates during the last year's U19 Asia Cup.
- His 15 sixes also represent the highest number hit in a single Under-19 World Cup innings, with only two other players achieving double digits.
- The century was scored off just 55 balls, marking it as the second fastest in U19 World Cups, following Will Malajczuk's 51-ball century for Australia against Japan earlier in this year’s tournament.
This latest milestone is just one of many in Suryavanshi's young career; he gained international attention in April of last year when he hit a six on his very first ball in the Indian Premier League. He then made history as the youngest player to score a century in men's T20 cricket, achieving a remarkable 35-ball hundred for the Rajasthan Royals against the Gujarat Titans. Notably, this was the second-fastest century in IPL history, only behind Chris Gayle's record-setting 30-ball ton in 2013.
In July 2025, he marked another significant achievement by recording what was then the fastest century in youth ODIs, scoring 143 runs off 78 balls in a match where India triumphed over England by 55 runs at Worcester. He reached his hundred in just 52 balls, besting the previous record set by Kamran Ghulam of Pakistan, who scored a century in 53 balls against England back in 2013. Just four months later, he accomplished a 32-ball century in a match for India A against the United Arab Emirates during the Asia Cup Rising Stars T20 event, finishing with an astounding 144 runs off just 42 balls.
For those interested, you can listen to the ball-by-ball commentary of the thrilling final on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and through the BBC Sport website and app.
