Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 14-year-old Indian cricketer, has captured attention with a blistering innings in the first Youth ODI against England U19, held at Hove. The young star smashed 48 runs off just 19 balls, propelling India U19 to a comfortable six-wicket victory.

Suryavanshi's innings was characterized by aggressive strokeplay, including five sixes and three fours. He and captain Ayush Mhatre formed a rapid opening partnership of 71 runs in just 7.3 overs, effectively taking the game away from England. While Suryavanshi fell just short of a half-century, his explosive start provided the platform for India's successful chase of 175 runs. Abhigyan Kundu's unbeaten 45 sealed the win for India in the 24th over.

Adding to the buzz surrounding Suryavanshi's performance was his choice of jersey number: 18, famously worn by Virat Kohli. This immediately sparked comparisons to the Indian cricket icon, with fans seeing it as a symbolic passing of the torch. Suryavanshi wearing the No. 18 jersey, has further fueled hopes for his promising future.

Before his U19 debut, Suryavanshi had already made headlines with a record-breaking 35-ball century for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. He became the youngest and fastest Indian to score a century in the IPL. Rajasthan Royals team manager Romi Bhinder revealed that Suryavanshi had met both MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli prior to his record-scripting innings in the IPL. Kohli shared tips with the youngster, advising him to stay grounded and work hard. Dhoni, after seeing Suryavanshi play, said "ok, you got the baby in your team. The baby is showing the great shots like a matured player".

Suryavanshi's talent was evident even before the IPL. He had previously made his mark in U19 tournaments, including a 58-ball century for India A against Australia A. He also played a key role in India U19's journey to the Asia Cup U19 final. Suryavanshi made his senior debut for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy, becoming the youngest player to represent the team.

England U19 were bowled out for 174, with Rocky Flintoff (56) and Isaac Mohammed (42) being the only batsmen to make significant contributions. Kanishk Chouhan took 3 for 20, while Ambrish, Mohamed Enaan and Henil Patel took two wickets each.

India U19 will continue their tour of England with the remaining matches of the five-match ODI series.