Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 11-ball fifty, India A vs Sri Lanka A, video, highlights, news

Fifteen-year-old cricket sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stunned with the fastest half-century in List A history, smashing the milestone in just 11 balls on Sunday.

India’s cricket board hailed the teenager, who made the record in an India A match against Sri Lanka A in Dambulla.

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“Fast. Faster. Vaibhav,” the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said in a post on X. “The 15-year old put on some show in Dambulla.”

Sooryavanshi made 94 off just 29 deliveries, including 10 fours and 8 sixes, as India A made 9-377. The left-hander needed only 11 balls to bring up his fifty, setting a new record for the quickest half-century in List A, the 50-over format of the game, according to multiple media reports.

The previous record was a 12-ball fifty from Sri Lankan Kaushalya Weeraratne in 2005.

Sri Lanka was dismissed ​for ⁠311 in reply, handing India a 66-run victory.

“I didn’t think too much. I just wanted to make the most of the first 10 overs and execute my plans,” Sooryavanshi said in Dambulla.

“There was no pressure. I worked on areas that weren’t going well, and today ​everything came together.

“I’ve learnt a lot. ‌I’ve played 50-over cricket ⁠quite a bit, even ​if people don’t realise it. The conditions were ​different, ‌but it was a good experience.”

Sooryavanshi fell short of Jake Fraser-McGurk’s record for fastest List A century, with the Australian managing the feat in 29 deliveries in 2023.

Sooryavanshi was named in India’s T20 squad for the tours to Ireland and England, as well as the Asian Games, after sweeping the batting honours in this year’s Indian Premier League. However, he missed selection for the ODI series against England.

He is line to become India’s youngest player, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, the batting great who made his Test debut aged 16 years and 205 days in 1989.

The spotlight has been on Sooryavanshi since his batting heroics in the IPL, where he amassed 776 runs for Rajasthan Royals, to finish as the tournament’s leading run scorer.

He struck a record-breaking 65 sixes during the tournament — with one century and five half-centuries — to pick up the Orange Cap for the leading run-getter.

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