Australia got the first taste of Vaibhav Suryavanshi on Sunday, as the teen sensation showed what he is made of and why there’s so much hype around him already.
The 14-year-old scored 38 runs off just 22 balls against Australia U19 in the first ODI of the three-match series at the Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane. The brief stint at the crease saw the left-hander smacking seven boundaries and one six. Suryavanshi was threatening to take the game away, but his innings was cut short by Hayden Schiller in the fifth over.
Hayden had the last laugh after being smashed for five boundaries by the young Indian batter. Suryavanshi started India’s chase of 226 runs in some style as he made his intentions clear on the very first ball by hitting a boundary.
The opening over saw Suryavanshi registering two boundaries. The left-hander smashed his lone six off the bowling of Charles Lachmund. It must be stated that this is the first time that Suryavanshi played a match in Australia.
Ever since making his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for the Rajasthan Royals earlier this year, Suryavanshi’s popularity has grown with each passing day. He smashed the fastest century by an Indian after going past the three-figure mark off just 35 balls against Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans.
Suryavanshi then continued his form in the Youth ODI series against England, smashing 355 runs in five matches, including a 143-run knock. With the century in the fourth ODI, Suryavanshi became the youngest centurion in U19 cricket. Later, he also became the youngest to pick up a wicket in a Youth Test.
First ODI between India and Australia U19
The first ODI between India and Australia U19 saw the latter winning the toss and opting to bat first. The hosts posted 225/9 in the allotted fifty overs, owing to an unbeaten 77-run knock off 68 balls by John James.
For India, Henil Patel returned with three wickets while Kishan Kumar and Kanishk Chouhan scalped two each.
India’s chase got off to a rocky start as the side lost Suryavanshi (38), Ayush Mhatre (6) and Vihaan Malhotra (9) with 75 runs on the board in the 10th over.
However, Vedant Trivedi and Abhigyan Kundu brought the chase on track. The duo stitched together a steady partnership, calming the nerves inside the Indian dressing room.
India eventually won the contest with seven wickets in hand and 117 balls to spare. Vedant and Abhigyan remained unbeaten on 61 and 87, respectively.