India’s 14-year-old prodigy will resume battle with Australia U19s in five-game series in Queensland
Fourteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who made global headlines earlier this year for his rapid IPL century, headlines the India U19 squad that will tour Australia in September.
Australia’s U19s will be familiar with Suryavanshi’s abilities. Last October, when he was still listed as a 13-year-old, he pummelled Australia’s U19s for a 58-ball red-ball century in Chennai.
That innings helped cement interest in his extraordinary talents as he was subsequently picked up by the Rajasthan Royals at that year’s IPL auction, then in April smashed a 35-ball IPL century against a Gujarat Titans attack where every bowler he faced had played Test cricket.
And earlier this month, he hit 143 against England U19s in Worcester, reaching his century in just 52 balls in an innings that featured 13 fours and 10 sixes.
That set a new record for the fastest century in a youth ODI, beating the previous record of 53 balls by Pakistan’s Kamran Ghulam against England in 2013.
The Australian record is held by Shaun Marsh, who hit 69-ball century against Kenya at the 2002 U19 World Cup.
India’s U19s will play three one-day matches and two four-day red-ball games against Australia’s U19s from September 21. All one-dayers and the first red-ball match will be played at Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane, while the second four-day game will be played at Mackay’s Great Barrier Reef Arena.
Captained by Ayush Mhatre, the bulk of India’s squad remains unchanged from their tour of England, where they won a five-match youth ODI series 3-2, while two red-ball matches were rain-affected draws.
Skipper Mhatre, a right-handed opener from Mumbai who plays for Chennai in the IPL, was the leading run-scorer in the red-ball format with 340 runs at 85 in the two games, including an 80-ball 126 in the second match.
Vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra is another promising talent, fresh of 277 runs at 69.25 in the youth Tests, with one century and two fifties in his four innings, while also adding 243 runs at 48 in the one-day games, including another century.
Suryavanshi’s 355 runs made him the leading scorer in the white-ball leg of that tour, averaging 71 with a remarkable strike rate of 174.
Suryavanshi was omitted from the one-day games on the Australia U19 tour last October, but will play the format this time.
Following his IPL century, there was some conjecture over whether Suryavanshi may be older than his reported age; he gave an interview in 2023 suggesting he was to turn 14 that year.
Idolising another free-wheeling left-hander in Brian Lara, he honed his extraordinary talents on a cement pitch laid by his father, Sanjeev, in the backyard of their home on farmland in Samastipur in eastern India.
Australia is set to reveal their U19 squad for the series next week.
Australia v India U19 Series 2025 – Men
September 21: 1st youth ODI, Ian Healy Oval, Brisbane, 2:30pm AEST (D/N)
September 24: 2nd youth ODI, Ian Healy Oval, Brisbane, 2:30pm AEST (D/N)
September 26: 3rd youth ODI, Ian Healy Oval, Brisbane, 2:30pm AEST (D/N)
September 30-October 3: 1st youth Test, Ian Healy Oval, Brisbane, 10am AEST
October 7-10: 2nd youth Test, Great Barrier Reef Arena, Mackay, 11am AEDT
