India’s young cricket talent, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, achieved a remarkable feat by scoring the second-fastest century in the U19 World Cup final against England in Harare. Sooryavanshi’s century, completed in just 55 balls, included six boundaries and six maximums, solidifying his position as the second-fastest centurion in U19 World Cup history. He surpassed the previous record set by Qasim Akram of Pakistan, who reached his century in 63 balls in 2022, with the fastest U19 World Cup century held by Will Malajczuk of Australia at 51 balls in 2026.
Sooryavanshi also became the quickest Indian player to achieve a century in U19 World Cup history, breaking the previous record held by Raj Angad Bawa, who accomplished the feat in 69 balls against Uganda in 2022. Notably, the 14-year-old batter became the third Indian to score a century in the U19 World Cup final. Furthermore, Sooryavanshi set a new record for the most sixes in a Youth ODI innings and U19 World Cup innings with 15 sixes, surpassing his own previous record of 14 against UAE U19 in December at ICCA Dubai.
Hailing from Bihar, Sooryavanshi reached his 150 off just 171 balls, marking the fastest in U19 cricket history, surpassing Ben Mayes’ record of 98 balls against SCOT at the same venue earlier in the competition. During his exceptional innings, Sooryavanshi forged a 142-run partnership with captain Ayush Mhatre (53) and an 89-run stand with Vedant Trivedi before his remarkable knock of 175 off 80 balls concluded in the 26th over. Presently, India stands at 275-3 in 29 overs with Vihaan Malhotra (10*) and Vedant Trivedi (22*) at the crease.
Sooryavanshi currently leads India’s scoring chart in the U19 World Cup, accumulating 264 runs at an average of 44 and a striking rate of 147.49. Earlier in January, he led the Indian U19 side to a commanding 3-0 victory in an away Youth ODI series against South Africa in Benoni, showcasing his leadership skills in his debut as the junior national team captain.
