Leading by example, skipper Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave India a blistering start in the second match of the three-game Youth ODI series against South Africa, smashing the third-fastest half-century in the format, at Benoni on Monday.
The 14-year-old Sooryavanshi, retained by Rajasthan Royals for the 2026 IPL season, blazed his way to a 24-ball 68 - featuring just one four but 10 sixes - to register his first fifty as a captain in Youth ODIs in what was just his second match in the role.
As many as 64 of his 68 runs came in boundaries.
Sooryavanshi announced his intent straight away with a six off the first ball. He went on to bring up his half-century with another maximum off the 19th delivery he faced.
Only South Africa’s Steve Stolk (13 balls) and India’s Rishabh Pant (18 balls) have reached the milestone quicker in under-19 ODI cricket. Afghanistan’s Azmatullah Omarzai also has a 19-ball fifty to his name.
Sooryavanshi had slammed a 20-ball Youth ODI fifty last year against England at Northampton.
The Indian skipper also took South African pacer Bayanda Majola apart at the start of the eighth over, smashing 6, 6, 6 and 4, before perishing in the following over. His dismissal left India at 95/2 in the ninth over while chasing the hosts’ total of 245.
Never miss an update on Rajasthan Royals - get the latest articles, news, and more by clicking here!
The record for the two fastest centuries in Youth ODI cricket also belongs to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed a 52-ball ton against the England U19 team in July last year and a 56-ball century against the UAE U19 team in December.
Sooryavanshi finished 2025 as India’s leading run-scorer in Youth ODIs. He amassed 690 runs at an average of 57.50 and a strike rate of 160.09, striking two centuries and two half-centuries, while topping the global six-hitting charts with 55 maximums.
Already vice-captain of Bihar in senior domestic cricket across formats, Sooryavanshi enjoyed a record-breaking IPL debut campaign with Rajasthan Royals last year, becoming the youngest player and centurion in the tournament’s history.
Against South Africa U19 in Benoni, India had won the opening match of the series by 25 runs via the DLS method, while the third and final match will be played at the same venue on Wednesday.
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.
