Bulawayo: Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi etched his name into the record books on Saturday with a trailblazing performance for India during their U-19 World Cup 2026 match against Bangladesh, becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in the tournament’s history.
Opening the innings with remarkable confidence, Suryavanshi struck 72 runs from 67 balls, lacing his knock with six boundaries and three sixes. His fifty came at lightning pace, reached in just 30 deliveries, setting the tone for India’s innings in challenging conditions.
At 14 years and 296 days, the right-hander eclipsed the previous age record held by Afghanistan’s Shahidullah Kamal, who had achieved the feat at 15 years and 19 days in the 2014 edition. The milestone places Suryavanshi ahead of several future stars, including Pakistan’s Babar Azam, who now occupies third place on the list.
Climbing Youth Cricket Charts
Suryavanshi’s innings also pushed him past former India captain Virat Kohli on another notable list. The young batter now has 1,047 runs from 20 Youth One-Day Internationals, surpassing Kohli’s tally of 978 runs accumulated over 28 matches at the same level.
Within Indian youth cricket, Vijay Zol remains the leading run-scorer with 1,404 runs, while Bangladesh’s Najmul Hossain Shanto tops the overall charts with 1,820 runs.
Tense Build-Up Before Start
The match carried signs of tension even before the first ball was bowled. India skipper Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh captain Azizul Hakim Tamim did not engage in the customary pre-match handshake. Adding to the unusual start, Bangladesh vice-captain Zawad Abrar walked out for the toss despite Hakim being named in the playing XI.
Following a rain-related delay, Abrar won the toss and chose to field, pointing to moisture on the Bulawayo surface as a factor.
Suryavanshi’s record-breaking knock, however, ensured the spotlight remained firmly on the teenager, as he continued to redefine expectations at the global youth level.
