A couple of days before the Tri-Nation series final, as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi walked out of the nets after a long and gruelling batting session under the scorching sun, a handful of local fans gathered around him, hoping to click pictures. The teenager obliged to most requests, but the demands kept growing. One picture led to two, two led to three, three led to more.
It reached a point where the team had to leave the Rangiri International Stadium and Sooryavanshi had to rush to catch the team bus, but the young fans simply wouldn’t let him go. As the local security staff eventually escorted him away, one of them joked, “Let him score first… Give him some time…”
The runs weren’t coming for the youngster. Coming on the back of a remarkable IPL season, where he won the Orange Cap, Sooryavanshi couldn’t convert his starts in the Tri-Nation series for India-A. The pressure, naturally, was mounting. Hearing the remark, he smiled and quietly boarded the team bus.
Who would have imagined that the 15-year-old would save his best for the last?
In the final, on Sunday, after Sri Lanka-A opted to field, Sooryavanshi slipped into a simple mode: miss your line or length and he’ll make you pay.
His 11-ball fifty — the fastest in List A cricket — turned India’s innings into a breathtaking exhibition of power-hitting. Making batting look ridiculously easy, the teenager dealt almost exclusively in fours and sixes as India raced to 50 in just three overs. With the Sri Lankan bowlers repeatedly missing their lengths, Sooryavanshi punished anything in his arc, scarcely allowing a dot ball to interrupt the onslaught.
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Priyansh Arya, too, made full use of an early reprieve and played the perfect foil, keeping the pressure firmly on the hosts as the opening partnership flourished under Sooryavanshi’s command. Every audacious hit drew loud cheers from the crowd that was on their feet, as India surged to the 100-run mark in just 6.3 overs.
With spectators turning up in large numbers, the stage appeared set for Sooryavanshi to break Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk’s record for the fastest List A century. But another nervous-nineties moment got the better of him. He was eventually caught at mid-off by Vijaykanth Viyaskanth off Sahan Arachchige’s bowling. As he raised his bat and helmet before walking off, the crowd rose to its feet in appreciation.
Yet his expression said it all. It was another case of being so near, yet so far. It was also a reminder that India’s newest sensation is only getting started.
Published on Jun 21, 2026
