Vaibhav’s Explosive Knock: 144 off just 42 balls with 15 sixes and 11 fours
India crush UAE by 148 runs; face Pakistan on Sunday
Doha: India A opened their campaign at the Asia Cup Rising Stars tournament with a commanding 148-run victory over the UAE, powered by a breathtaking innings from 14-year-old left-hand opening batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi. The young sensation smashed 144 runs off just 42 deliveries, hammering 15 sixes and 11 fours, and emerged as the undisputed star of the match.
Vaibhav brought up his century in only 32 balls, becoming the second-fastest T20 centurion for India. The record for the fastest Indian T20 hundred is jointly held by world No. 1 batter Abhishek Sharma and Urvil Patel, both reaching the milestone in 28 balls.
134 out of 144 runs came in boundaries
Vaibhav produced a stunning display of power-hitting at the Doha venue, scoring 134 of his 144 runs through boundaries alone. His 32-ball century equalled Rishabh Pant’s mark for India.
He reached his fifty in just 17 balls and continued his assault even after crossing the 100-run mark. He received excellent support from Naman Dhir (34), with whom he added 163 runs for the second wicket. Vaibhav also shared a valuable stand with captain Jitesh Sharma, who smashed an unbeaten 83 off 32 balls (6 sixes, 8 fours). Nehal Wadhera chipped in with 14 runs.
India A post 297/4
India A piled up 297 for 4 in their 20 overs. In reply, UAE managed only 149 for 7, with Gurjanpreet Singh taking three wickets and Harsh Dubey picking up two.
India A will now face Pakistan Shaheens in a highly anticipated clash on Sunday (8:00 PM IST) in Doha. The Pakistan side, led by Irfan Khan, also includes Yasir Khan, Ubaid Khan, and several relatively lesser-known players.