11 Fours & 15 Sixes: Suryavanshi equals Pant's record with 32-ball hundred

Young opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi produced one of the most explosive knocks in T20 cricket, smashing a 42-ball 144 studded with 11 fours and 15 sixes to guide India A to a commanding 148-run victory over the United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup Rising Stars on Friday.

 

Suryavanshi raced to his hundred in just 32 balls, equalling Rishabh Pant’s 2018 mark for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh — the joint second fastest T20 ton by an Indian batter. The 17-year-old reached the milestone with a crisp four off pacer Muhammad Arfan in the 10th over.

 

A record-laced innings in a single gear

 

Suryavanshi batted with relentless aggression throughout the innings. His assault was most brutal against UAE left-arm spinner Harshit Kaushik, who was hammered for four sixes and a four in the 11th over alone as 30 runs cascaded off it.

 

At one stage, Suryavanshi was striking at 348, powering India A to 195 for 3 in just 12.3 overs before he fell to off-spinner Mohammed Farazuddin, skying one to Ahmed Tariq in the deep.

 

Despite the carnage, he narrowly missed surpassing compatriots Abhishek Sharma and Urvil Patel, who hold the Indian record for the fastest T20 hundreds (28 balls).   

 

Massive partnership and India’s 297-run mountain

 

Suryavanshi found steady support in Naman Dhir (34), with the pair adding 168 runs in a little over 10 overs at an eye-watering rate of 16 per over.

 

After Suryavanshi’s dismissal, captain Jitesh Sharma ensured the tempo did not dip for long. His 83 off 32 balls featured a blistering late-over assault, including a 28-run demolition of pacer Arfan in the 19th over with hits of 6, 4, 4, 6, 6.

 

India finished with a mammoth 297 for 4 in 20 overs.

 

Gurjapneet leads the defence as UAE crumble

 

Chasing an improbable 298, UAE were never in contention. Left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh led India’s disciplined attack with figures of 3 for 18, while UAE’s Shoaib Khan offered the lone fight with a 41-ball 63.

 

But the target was well beyond reach, and UAE ended at 149 for 7, conceding a 148-run defeat against a strong India A outfit stacked with first-class regulars.

 

A shining star in the desert night

 

While India dominated all departments, the evening belonged firmly to Vaibhav Suryavanshi — a teenager whose breathtaking power-hitting rewrote the record books and illuminated the Asia Cup Rising Stars stage.