Vaibhav Suryavanshi has raised the standards so high that a strike rate of 102 almost feels ordinary. In the second Youth ODI against Australia U19 at the Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane, his 70-run knock looked calm and measured for much of the innings, with his strike rate staying below a run a ball for a while. It was like watching an F1 car stuck in Bengaluru evening traffic.
Unlike many of his previous innings for India U19 and in the IPL, Vaibhav Suryavanshi took his time to settle. Credit must also go to the Australian new-ball bowlers, who made scoring a bit tricky. He did try to break free a few times in the power play, but the rhythm wasn’t quite there.
The good news for India U19 was that Vaibhav Suryavanshi stayed patient and didn’t rush. He was 20 off 38 balls at the end of the first 10 overs, with only two fours and a six to his name. Yes, you read that right. Once the fielding restrictions were lifted, though, he let loose.
Hayden Schiller felt the heat as Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed a couple of sixes and a four in the 12th over. One of his shots, a pull for a six over square leg, ended the over with a flourish. In the very next over from John James, he amazed everyone with a straight six over long off. Then came his record-breaking fifth six in the over, bowled by Australia U19’s fastest, Kasey Barton.
Breaking a World Record
That was Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s 39th six in Youth ODIs, surpassing the world record previously held by India’s 2012 U19 World Cup-winning captain, Unmukt Chand. What makes it even more remarkable is how quickly he did it. Unmukt Chand hit 38 sixes in 21 innings, while Vaibhav Suryavanshi needed just 10 innings to break the record.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s Maiden Half-Century in Australia
Vaibhav Suryavanshi added a few more boundaries before eventually being dismissed by Australia U19 captain Yash Deshmukh. He had scored 70 off 68 balls, including five fours and six sixes, marking his maiden half-century on Australian soil in Youth ODIs.
Support from Yash Deshmukh and Abhigyan Kundu
Alongside Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yash Deshmukh also had a solid outing, scoring 70 off 74 balls. After the two were dismissed, the Indian innings slowed a bit, but Abhigyan Kundu stepped up with an excellent knock of 71 off 64 balls. His effort helped India reach 300 runs in 49.4 overs, just like in the first match.
ALSO READ: BCCI Finally Responds To Shreyas Iyer’s Sudden Exit From India A Team
