14-Year-Old Vaibhav Suryavanshi Makes History as Youngest Player to Score a Century in Men's T20s

Sports

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old batter from Rajasthan Royals, etched his name in history by becoming the youngest player ever to score a century in men's T20 cricket. Suryavanshi achieved this remarkable feat during a thrilling Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Gujarat Titans.

The teenage sensation pulled Rashid Khan for a six to bring up his century in just 35 balls, marking the second-fastest hundred in IPL history, and the fastest by an Indian player. Suryavanshi’s innings, which featured an explosive combination of seven fours and eleven sixes, ended when he was bowled out for a stunning 101 off 38 balls.

Suryavanshi’s blitz helped Rajasthan Royals chase down Gujarat Titans' total of 210 with ease, as they romped to an eight-wicket win. His impressive performance also ended a run of five consecutive losses for Rajasthan, keeping their slim hopes of reaching the IPL knockout stages alive.

Suryavanshi, who turned 14 only last month, was signed by the Royals at last year’s IPL auction for a hefty £103,789 (1.1 crore rupees) after a bidding war. The young left-hander had already made waves earlier this season by becoming the youngest player ever to feature in the IPL, marking his debut with a six on his first ball.

During his innings in Jaipur, Suryavanshi formed a 166-run partnership with Yashasvi Jaiswal, who remained unbeaten on 70 off 40 balls, in a spectacular display of T20 hitting. The century came up in the 11th over, with only Chris Gayle having scored faster (30 balls) in IPL history when he achieved the milestone for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013.

Despite Shubman Gill’s brilliant knock of 84 from 50 balls and Jos Buttler’s unbeaten half-century, Gujarat Titans were unable to stop Rajasthan’s chase, and they dropped to third in the IPL standings on net run-rate.

Before his IPL debut, Suryavanshi made headlines last October when, aged just 13, he scored a 58-ball century for India Under-19s against Australia Under-19s in a Youth Test match in Chennai. He was also part of India’s Under-19 Asia Cup squad, where he amassed 176 runs at an average of 44.

Additionally, Suryavanshi has been making his mark in first-class cricket for Bihar, debuting at the age of 12. He has played five Ranji Trophy matches, scoring 100 runs with a highest score of 41.

With his meteoric rise, Suryavanshi has proven that age is no barrier to success in cricket, and his future looks incredibly bright.