Vaibhav Suryavanshi has turned plenty of heads this year, but his latest effort – a 36-ball century for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in Ranchi – really does take the biscuit. At 14 years and 272 days, he is now the youngest man to score a List A hundred, edging past every name on that particular list. The knock arrived on the opening morning of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and, in truth, the Plate League contest was finished long before lunch.
Bihar were asked to bat, Suryavanshi strolled out at first drop and immediately began clearing the ropes. His first fifty came in 19 balls, the ton in 36, and he stretched the madness to 150 from 59 deliveries – the quickest in men’s List A cricket. By the time he holed out for 190 from 84 balls (16 fours, 15 sixes) the small weekday crowd had started phoning friends to tell them what they’d just seen.
“It felt like everything I tried came off the middle,” the teenager said afterwards, still tugging at a helmet two sizes too big. “I wasn’t thinking about records, just the next ball.” Bihar coach Dinesh Kumar was a touch more expansive: “There’s talent and then there’s this. We’ve known he can hit a long ball, but the composure is what really stands out.”
Those inside state circles have watched the rise unfold at alarming pace. In the last 12 months Suryavanshi has:
• become the youngest player bought at an IPL auction (picked up by Rajasthan at 13)
• nailed a 38-ball hundred for the Royals against Gujarat Titans
• rattled a 42-ball 144 for India Under-19s in Doha – joint-third quickest T20 ton by an Indian
• peeled off an unbeaten 108 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, the youngest to three figures there as well
His youth ODI numbers are equally startling: 15 games, average north of 50, strike-rate brushing 160. Only Ambati Rayudu’s 177 at Taunton in 2002 stands between the lad and the Indian record at that level; earlier this month he was six runs shy.
Former India batter Wasim Jaffer, watching on television, offered a measured take. “The power is obvious, but what I like is the clarity. He picks his scoring areas early and doesn’t slog across the line.” Simple words, but they carry weight from someone who has seen a fair few prodigies come and go.
The logistical headache for Bihar is availability. Suryavanshi is pencilled in for a national Under-19 conditioning camp in Bengaluru next week and will miss the bulk of the Vijay Hazare campaign. The Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia starts on 15 January; India will not risk burnout.
Still, even a cameo series can tilt a season. Bihar skipper Ashutosh Thakur joked, “We’ll take whatever we can get. Fifteen overs from him are sometimes enough.”
A note of caution lurks beneath the excitement. Heavy schedules and early fame have nibbled away at gifted youngsters before. Physiotherapist Meera Singh, part of the junior team’s support staff, summed it up neatly: “The body is still growing. Managing workload is as important as coaching technique.”
For now, though, the numbers speak for themselves – 36 balls, one hundred runs, and a 14-year-old walking off with the sort of grin that suggests he’s only just getting started.
