Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi continued to rewrite the record books as he struck his maiden century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy — India’s premier domestic T20 tournament — on Tuesday at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Vaibhav reached his hundred off just 57 balls against Prithvi Shaw’s Maharashtra, hammering seven sixes and an equal number of fours in a blistering innings on a pitch that offered little assistance to free-flowing stroke play.
Carrying his bat, Vaibhav finished unbeaten on 108 from 61 deliveries as Bihar posted a competitive 176 for 3 in their 20 overs. The teenager scored more than half of his side’s total, shouldering the responsibility of accelerating on what proved to be a tricky surface at the iconic venue in Kolkata.
Remarkably, Vaibhav already has three T20 centuries to his name — including a record-breaking hundred in the Indian Premier League for the Rajasthan Royals — all before turning 15.
Vaibhav showed he can bat in multiple gears, taking 37 deliveries to reach his fifty. The 14-year-old took his time to assess the conditions after Bihar lost opener Bipin Saurabh and No. 3 Piyush Kumar Singh for single-digit scores. Reduced to 31 for 2 inside the powerplay, Bihar were steadied by Vaibhav and Aakash Raj, who added a crucial 70-run stand for the third wicket.
Vaibhav played high-quality spinners Vicky Ostwal and Jalaj Saxena with considerable respect, carefully choosing the bowlers he would take on. His ability to read the surface and find gaps on a tricky pitch stood out—remarkably mature for a 14-year-old and a sign that an India call-up may not be far away.
The teenager has been in red-hot form. He was a key member of the India A squad in the recently concluded Rising Stars Asia Cup in Doha. Despite India losing the semi-final to Bangladesh, Vaibhav amassed 239 runs, including a 32-ball century against the UAE, at an average of 59.75 and a staggering strike rate of 243.87.
Having made his Ranji Trophy debut at just 12, Vaibhav became a household name after a sparkling IPL debut season with Rajasthan Royals. He scored 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.55, including a blistering 38-ball 101 against Gujarat Titans—the second-fastest century in IPL history—which also made him the youngest centurion in the tournament.
Representing the India Under-19 side, Vaibhav also smashed a 78-ball century against Australia Under-19s, the fastest ever by an Indian in U-19 Tests.
