Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played yet another captain’s knock for the India U19 cricket team by smashing a 63-ball century against South Africa in the third and final match of the Youth ODI series in Benoni on Wednesday.
Sooryavanshi, who was retained by Rajasthan Royals for the 2026 Indian Premier League season, notched up a 74-ball 127 at Willowmoore Park.
The 14-year-old’s knock included nine fours and 10 sixes as he went on to register his maiden century as India’s captain in Youth ODIs in his third match in the role.
The teenage prodigy underlined his authority with a boundary-laden knock, scoring 96 of his 127 runs in fours and sixes.
He stitched a 227-run stand for the opening wicket with fellow centurion Aaron George and set up a strong foundation for India to build on prior to his dismissal in the 26th over.
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On the attack from the outset, Vaibhav struck his first boundary off the second ball of the match when he hit JJ Basson for a four.
Unrelenting with his attacking strokeplay, Vaibhav brought up his fifty off 24 balls with a four in just the eighth over of the innings.
Showing no signs of slowing down after the fifty, the hard-hitting southpaw went on to score his ton off just 63 balls in the 23rd over and struck three more fours as well as a couple of maximums before falling to Ntando Soni.
Vaibhav’s 63-ball hundred against the Proteas is the joint-fourth fastest in Youth ODIs along with Qasim Akram of Pakistan.
Interestingly, Vaibhav also holds the record for the second and third fastest centuries in Youth ODIs.
He made a 52-ball ton against England U19 and 56-ball century against UAE in Youth ODIs last year.
Pakistan’s Sameer Minhas, who scored a hundred off 42 deliveries against Zimbabwe on Tuesday, holds the record for the fastest ton in Youth ODIs.
Vaibhav’s ton against the Proteas in the third Youth ODI follows his 24-ball 68 against South Africa in the second match of the series.
His half-century in the previous match was the third-fastest half-century in the format.
Already vice-captain of Bihar in senior domestic cricket across formats, Sooryavanshi enjoyed a record-breaking IPL debut campaign with Rajasthan Royals last year after becoming the youngest player and centurion in the tournament’s history.
Against South Africa U19 in Benoni, India won the first two matches of the series by 25 runs and eight wickets, respectively, both via the DLS method.
Sooryavanshi is also part of India’s 15-member squad for the ICC U-19 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Zimbabwe and Namibia from January 15.
