Vaibhav Suryavanshi for India - (Source: @Johns/X.com)
On Monday, January 5, India U19 locked horns against South Africa U19 for the second youth ODI at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The Proteas, who trail 0-1 in the three-match series, put 245 runs on the board, courtesy of Kishan Singh’s four-wicket haul.
In reply, India got off to a blistering start as Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who is also leading the side, went all guns blazing. Suryavanshi took the onus on his shoulders and powered his team towards the challenging target with confident strokeplay. The 14-year-old slammed a 19-ball fifty and eventually returned to the pavilion after scoring 68 (24), which featured 10 sixes and a solitary four.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi lead the team with an example
Notably, for the ongoing series, Vaibhav Suryavanshi is leading the side in this series in Ayush Mhatre’s absence. The southpaw is leading by example as he took the aerial route in most of his innings. Notably, the 14-year-old slammed five sixes in the first nine balls and then took on B Majola in the 8th over when he slammed three sixes and a solitary four.
Suryavanshi looked to reach his century in style but mistimed a shot and eventually threw his wicket away. The Proteas also had a chance to get Suryavanshi out early in his innings, but a tough chance was dropped.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi gets going ahead of U19 World Cup 2026
Ahead of the start of the series, Suryavanshi was under pressure because he was set to lead the team for the first time. Suryavanshi failed to score in the first youth ODI and scored 11 (12). There was a lot of criticism as the southpaw was at the centre of criticism for not scoring big runs against top-ranked teams.
The knock will help Suryavanshi gain confidence as the ongoing series will act as a practice ground for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup in Namibia and Zimbabwe which starts from January 15.
