Sooryavanshi Hits Fastest List A Fifty, Falls Short of Historic Ton

Dambulla: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi broke the 21-year-old fastest record for a List A fifty with an 11-ball half-century for India A in the tri-series final against Sri Lanka A on Sunday.

The 15-year-old sensation, who will make his India debut later this month (94 off 29), gave his best to compete for the top spot. Sooryavanshi surpassed the record of fastest fifty held by Sri Lankan Kaushalya Weeraratne, who reached the milestone in 12 balls in 2005.

The Indian youngster was also on the verge of hitting the fastest List A century but was caught out midway through the ninth over for 132. There was a sensational score of 94 off 29 balls with 10 fours and eight sixes.

He reached fifty with five sixes and as many fours as he played with the Sri Lanka A attack.

Sooryavanshi, who failed to score big in the league stage, had business intentions from the beginning. His first five balls resulted in two sixes and three fours.

He targeted the pacers’ leg side before opting for the extra cover zone after the opposition fielded an extra fielder.

His ability to knock the ball well out of the park came to the fore once again. Sooryavanshi completed her half-century by hitting a couple of sixes behind Dulaj Samuditha.

His effortless sixes (three in total) during extra cover were the highlight of his innings.

Sooryavanshi was close to matching Jake Fraser McGurk’s 29th century ball record but fell short by an innings.

His shots were another reminder of Sooryavanshi’s rare talent. The boy from Bihar had earned the India T20 call-up for the tour of Ireland and England after his breathtaking performances in the IPL play-offs.

Early in the tri-series, Sooryavanshi was sledged by a Sri Lanka A player, leading to a heated exchange between players from both sides in the testy league match here.