Vaibhav Suryavanshi once again demonstrated why he’s a very, very special batsman in the very first match of the national one-day Vijay Hazare Trophy, which began on Wednesday. In the Plate Group match in Ranchi, Vaibhav wreaked havoc on the Arunachal Pradesh bowlers, scoring 190 runs off just 84 balls. He smashed 15 sixes and 16 fours. He also scored his first List A century off just 35 balls, becoming only the second Indian batsman to score the fastest century in List A cricket.
He achieved this feat at just 14 years and 272 days old. But more importantly, Vaibhav achieved a feat in List A cricket history that no other batsman has achieved in the last 62 years. The story doesn’t end there. The innings was a stormy one of 190 runs, and Vaibhav did some more memorable feats at such a young age.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi batted so well that AB de Villiers’ record also fell short
Suryavanshi not only became the second fastest Indian batsman to score a century in List A cricket, but more importantly, he became the fastest batsman to score 150 runs in the nearly 62-year history of List A cricket. Vaibhav also achieved this feat at the youngest age. Earlier, this feat was in the name of AB de Villiers. AB de Villiers had scored 150 runs in 64 balls. AB did this feat in the match played against West Indies in the 2015 World Cup. Whereas Vaibhav achieved this figure against Arunachal Pradesh in just 54 balls.
Vaibhav’s 190-run innings included 154 runs made solely from fours and sixes. This is the highest score in a single innings made solely from fours and sixes in List A cricket history. Suryavanshi smashed a total of 15 sixes in his 190-run innings, making him the second-highest six-hitter in List A cricket’s 58-year history. Sri Lanka’s K.I.C. Alasanka holds the record for most sixes in a single List A match. He smashed 16 sixes in his unbeaten 206 against Colombo vs. Jaffna in Dambulla on June 6, 2024.
Along with first-class and Twenty20 cricket, List A is one of the three major formats of cricket recognised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). In November 2021, the ICC retrospectively granted List A status to women’s cricket, bringing it on par with men’s cricket.