During the second Test of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy in Birmingham Saturday, the spotlight shifted momentarily from Edgbaston to Worcester, where 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi made headlines by smashing the fastest century in Youth ODIs. The Bihar prodigy blazed his way to a stunning 143 off 78 balls against England Under-19, reaching his hundred in just 52 balls with 13 fours and 10 sixes. Vaibhav’s innings was a masterclass in aggressive batting, as he tore into England’s bowlers with a strike rate of 183.33, solidifying his reputation as a phenomenon.This explosive knock, studded with fearless strokeplay, not only powered India U-19 to a commanding total of 363/9 in 50 overs that resulted in a 55-run win, but also sparked fervent discussions among former players commentating on the Test match, who couldn’t resist dissecting the teenager’s potential.When Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant were dominating the bowlers in Birmingham, experts like Michael Atherton and Ravi Shastri turned their focus to Vaibhav. Atherton, drawing parallels to Pant, marvelled at Vaibhav’s bat swing, asking Shastri if the prodigy should grind it out in Ranji Trophy or be fast-tracked to the senior team.Shastri was bullish, “He will play first-class cricket, but that’s what the IPL does. It gives you that platform. You catch the imagination of everyone. And it will fast-track him if he just goes and plays first-class cricket, gets a couple of hundreds in his first season. He has already caught the eye. He has already made it to the under-19 team at the age of 14. He’s smacking it everywhere.”Shastri also noted ex-Sri Lanka skipper and Rajasthan Royals director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara’s observation that Vaibhav’s already fielding endorsement offers, underscoring the importance of Rahul Dravid’s mentorship at Royals to keep him grounded.“Speaking to Sangakkara at the back of the box yesterday, he said Vaibhav has been flooded with offers for endorsements. How he handles that is very important and he has got a good bloke in Rahul Dravid as mentor and coach there,” former India captain added.Having already notched 48 off 19, 45 off 34, and 86 off 31 in prior ODIs, Vaibhav leads the series with 179 runs at a staggering strike rate of 213.09, proving he is no flash in the pan.
Vaibhav is smacking it everywhere: Shastri | Jaipur News
