Doha, Qatar – In a stunning display of power hitting, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi blasted a 32-ball century for India A against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025. Suryavanshi's incredible innings propelled India A to a commanding total of 297/4 in their Group B opener at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium. India A won the match by 148 runs.
The young left-handed opener dominated the UAE bowling attack, smashing 144 runs off just 42 balls. His innings included 11 fours and a staggering 15 sixes, leaving spectators in awe of his clean hitting and aggressive strokeplay. Suryavanshi maintained a phenomenal strike rate of 342.85 during his innings.
Suryavanshi's century is the joint-second fastest by an Indian in men's T20 cricket. Urvil Patel and Abhishek Sharma jointly hold the record for the fastest T20 century by an Indian, achieving the feat in 28 balls. Rishabh Pant had also previously hit a 32-ball century for Delhi in 2018. Overall, Suryavanshi's innings is the joint-fifth fastest in men's T20 cricket. He also became the first Indian to score a T20 century for India A.
India A had won the toss and elected to bat first. Suryavanshi was dropped off the very first ball but made UAE pay dearly for the missed chance. He reached his half-century in just 17 balls. The 14-year-old was eventually dismissed in the 13th over, but by then he had already taken India A to a commanding position.
Skipper Jitesh Sharma continued the onslaught, smashing an unbeaten 83 off 32 balls, including eight fours and six sixes. Sharma's late fireworks ensured India A finished just three runs short of 300. Aayan Afzal Khan was the most economical of the UAE bowlers, taking 1/42.
In response, the UAE were restricted to 149/7 in their 20 overs. Sohaib Khan fought valiantly with 63 runs, but the Indian bowlers maintained tight control throughout the innings. Gurjapneet Singh was the pick of the Indian bowlers, taking 3/18.
With this victory, India A moved to the top of Group B in the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan Shaheens are second in the group after defeating Oman by 40 runs earlier in the day. India A and Pakistan Shaheens are scheduled to face each other on Sunday.
Suryavanshi, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), has been in exceptional form recently. Earlier this year, he became the youngest and fastest centurion in U19 ODI history. He also broke the record for the most sixes in Youth ODI cricket in September.
Priyank Panchal, a retired Indian first-class player, expressed his admiration for Suryavanshi's talent on X (formerly Twitter), suggesting that he could be fast-tracked into the senior Indian team.
This latest feat further solidifies Vaibhav Suryavanshi's reputation as a rising star in the world of cricket.
