Anand Mahindra
Teenage cricket sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi has once again caught everyone’s attention. In the final of the Tri-Nation series played between India A and Sri Lanka A, he played a explosive innings and scored the fastest half-century in the history of List A cricket. The achievement of this just 15 year old opener was highly praised by cricket fans, former players and business stalwarts. Industrialist Anand Mahindra was also included in these, who said that Vaibhav’s mental strength impressed him more than his batting.
This innings of Vaibhav came just a few days after the incident when he had a dispute with a player on the field in the last match. But instead of letting that incident affect his game, he responded with the bat in such a way that the opposing team was left with no answer.
Anand Mahindra praised Vaibhav’s thinking
Anand Mahindra, while reacting on the social media platform
He wrote, “Half-century in 11 balls. Incredible. But I am not just praising this figure. After the on-field argument in the last match, he could have come into this match carrying the burden of that incident with him.”
Mahindra further said, “But he allowed his bat to respond. Talent is a gift given by God, but temperament and restraint are a choice. It is this restraint that will make him a big star.”
This post of Mahindra was well-liked on social media and many people believed that Vaibhav’s reaction in difficult situations shows maturity beyond his age.
Fastest half century in List A cricket
Vaibhav Suryavanshi accomplished this historic feat in the final of the Tri-Nation Series at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium. Sri Lanka A won the toss and chose to bowl first, after which Vaibhav came out to open the innings with Priyansh Arya.
He broke the world record of List A cricket by completing his half-century in just 11 balls. Earlier this record was in the name of Kaushalya Weeraratne of Sri Lanka, who had scored a fifty in 12 balls in a domestic cricket match in the 2005-06 season.
Vaibhav also made an Indian record in his name during this period. Earlier, the record of fastest half-century by an Indian in List A cricket was in the name of Sarfaraz Khan, who scored fifty in 15 balls for Mumbai against Punjab in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Missed a century, but left a deep impression
Even after completing the record half-century, Vaibhav’s aggressive game continued and it seemed that he would also complete his first List A century. However, after scoring 94 runs in 29 balls, he was caught out at mid-off off the bowling of Arachchige.
His explosive innings included 10 fours and 8 sixes. The special thing was that only 3 of his runs came from singles. Even though he missed the century, his innings became one of the most memorable aggressive innings of List A cricket.
This innings was also special because earlier in the tournament his performance for India A had been relatively quiet with the bat. But in a big match like the final, he showed how to perform well by remaining calm under pressure.
