Rising star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s 44-ball 56 helped the India U19 cricket team stretch their second innings lead to 229 on Day 3 of the first Youth Test against England at the Kent County Cricket Ground in Beckenham on Monday.
The 14-year-old left-hander, who also plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, carried over his red-hot form from the Youth ODIs into the longer format, smashing nine boundaries and a six in his enterprising knock.
His innings ensured India stayed in control after taking a handy 101-run first innings lead.
Sooryavanshi wasted no time, hitting a boundary off just his second delivery and racing to a half-century in only 39 balls. He was eventually dismissed for 56, caught by Ekansh Singh off Archie Vaughan, but not before giving India a flying start in their second innings.
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The Indian team scored 540 in the first innings before bowling out England for 439. India are currently 128/3 with a day’s play remaining on Tuesday.
The teenager had scored 14 off 13 in the first innings.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was in superb touch during the recently concluded five-match Youth ODI series against England, where he finished as the top scorer with 355 runs at an average of 71.00 and a strike rate of 174.01. He smashed 29 sixes across the five matches - more than the combined tally of the next six top scorers.
His 143 off 78 balls in the fourth Youth ODI not only gave him the fastest century in U19 men’s ODIs but also made him the youngest centurion in the format.
In September 2024, Vaibhav made headlines on debut for the India U19 team in a Youth Test against Australia in Chennai.
Aged just 13 years and 188 days at the time, he scored 104 off 62 balls before being run out. That knock, featuring a 58-ball century, remains the fastest ever by an Indian in youth Tests and the second-quickest overall.
