Young left-handed batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi continued his impressive form with the bat in the ongoing Youth ODI series between India U19 and England U19. Suryavanshi came close to breaking Rishabh Pant’s record as the fastest Indian to score a U19 ODI fifty but fell just short of the milestone.
The 14-year-old batter scored 86 off just 31 deliveries, including six fours and nine sixes, during India’s four-wicket victory in a rain-shortened 40-over contest in Northampton on Wednesday, July 2. It is worth mentioning that the left-handed batter had recorded scores of 48 and 45 in the first two games.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi Falls Short of Rishabh Pant’s U19 Record
Vaibhav Suryavanshi wasted no time in setting the tone for India’s run chase. He smashed two consecutive sixes off pacer Sebastian Morgan in just the third over. He followed it up with two more sixes and a boundary off the same bowler in his next over.
Suryavanshi reached his half-century in just 20 balls. The southpaw became the second-fastest Indian U19 batter to do so. Team India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant had smashed an 18-ball fifty against Nepal in 2016.
At the time he was dismissed, India had already scored 111 runs within eight overs of their chase. India chased down the target of 268 with four wickets in hand and more than five overs to spare.
Fastest Fifties by India U-19 Batters in Youth ODIs:
| Balls | Player | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | Rishabh Pant | Nepal U-19s | 2016 |
| 20 | Vaibhav Suryavanshi* | England U-19s | 2025 |
| 23 | Tilak Varma | England U-19s | 2023 |
| 24 | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | Sri Lanka U-19s | 2024 |
Vaibhav Suryavanshi Sets Record for Most Sixes by an Indian in Youth ODI
Suryavanshi also etched his name into the record books for his power-hitting. He achieved the record for the most sixes by an Indian batter in a Youth ODI. The southpaw broke the previous record of eight sixes, jointly held by Mandeep Singh and Raj Angad Bawa.
Suryavanshi scored 78 of his 86 runs through boundaries. It was 90.69% of his total score, a rare feat achieved by only three other Indian players in U19 ODIs.
Most Sixes by Indian U-19 Batters in Youth ODIs:
| Sixes | Player | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Vaibhav Suryavanshi | England | 2025 |
| 8 | Raj Bawa | Zimbabwe | 2022 |
| 8 | Mandeep Singh | Australia | 2009 |
| 7 | Ankush Bains | Zimbabwe | 2013 |
England U19 Skipper Thomas Rew Leads from the Front with the Bat
After being asked to bat first, England opener Ben Dawkins gave the hosts a solid start with 62 runs off 61 balls. Dawkins shared a 78-run stand with Isaac Mohammed, who added 41. Ben Mayes chipped in with 31 before captain Thomas Rew hit an unbeaten 76 off 44 balls to help England post 268/6.
Kanishk Chouhan played a crucial all-round role. He took 3/38, including the important scalps of Ben Mayes and Rocky Flintoff. Later, Kanishk scored an unbeaten 43 with the bat. He and RS Ambrish (31*) guided India to a win with more than five overs to spare.
The four-wicket win gave India a 2-1 lead in the series. India will take on England in the fourth Youth ODI at New Road in Worcester on Saturday, July 5.