Vaibhav Suryavanshi creates all-time India record in ACC U19 Asia Cup history with whirlwind knock against UAE

The ICC Academy in Dubai became a testimony to carnage and history together on December 12 as Vaibhav Suryavanshi played a whirlwind knock of 171 off just 95 balls, tormenting the UAE bowlers in the curtain raiser of the ACC U19 Men's Asia Cup.

Suryavanshi brought his hundred off just 56 deliveries, launching an unrelenting attack on the hosts and forcing them to duck for cover. The 14-year-old began tentatively and changed his gears once he got a measure of the pitch.

Highest individual score by an Indian in U19 Asia Cup

He targeted the V and launched several lofted straight drives for sixes as India's run rate skyrocketed in a very short span of time. The southpaw shattered Himanshu Rana's record for the highest innings score ever registered by an Indian in the history of the tournament. Rana had scored 130 against Afghanistan in Colombo in 2016. Interestingly, Suryavanshi also moved past Shahzaib Khan's 159, a knock that will continue to haunt Indian fans for a long time.

Shahzaib had scored 159 off 147 balls against the Boys in Blue in the previous iteration of the signature event at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on November 30, 2024. Also a left-hander, Shahzaib's knock had helped Pakistan beat India by 43 runs.

Suryavanshi was fortunate early on as the UAE fielders missed a few opportunities, emboldening him to go even harder at the ball. He smashed nine fours and 14 sixes at a scintillating strike rate of 180 before he lost his bails while attempting a paddle sweep on the penultimate delivery of the 33rd over against left-arm wrist spinner Uddish Suri.

India Under-19s Playing XI:

Ayush Mhatre (c), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Aaron George, Vihaan Malhotra, Vedant Trivedi, Abhigyan Kundu (wk), Khilan Patel, Deepesh Devendran, Kishan Kumar Singh, Henil Patel, Kanishk Chouhan

United Arab Emirates Under-19s Playing XI: 
Yayin Kiran Rai (c), Ayaan Misbah, Ahmed Khudadad, Shalom D’Souza, Prithvi Madhu, Noorullah Ayobi, Saleh Amin (wk), Uddish Suri, Ali Asgar, Yug Sharma, Muhammad Rayan