Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old teenage prodigy stole the spotlight from Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma and announced himself on the Vijay Hazare Trophy stage with a breathtaking 36-ball century against Arunachal Pradesh on Dec 24, producing one of the most explosive knocks ever seen in List A cricket.
Walking in with little pressure but immense promise, Suryavanshi wasted no time in dismantling the Arunachal bowling attack. Within an hour of the match beginning, the teenager had already reached three figures, sending shockwaves through Indian domestic cricket. His hundred came in just 36 deliveries, making it the second-fastest century in Vijay Hazare Trophy history and one of the quickest across all One-Day formats.
In the broader context
of List A cricket, Suryavanshi's effort places him joint-fourth on the all-time list of fastest centuries, alongside New Zealand's Corey Anderson. More remarkably, he went past Shahid Afridi's iconic 37-ball ODI century against Sri Lanka in 1996 - a record long considered the benchmark for brute-force batting in the format.
Among Indian cricketers, only Anmolpreet Singh has reached a List A hundred faster, having scored a 35-ball century for Punjab, coincidentally also against Arunachal Pradesh, in the previous Vijay Hazare season. That makes Suryavanshi's feat the second-fastest by an Indian in List A history, a staggering achievement for someone barely into his teens.
The knock capped off a remarkable year for Suryavanshi. In 2025, he first caught the nation's attention with his fearless batting for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, showing maturity well beyond his age. He followed that up with consistent performances in youth internationals across formats, cementing his reputation as one of India's brightest prospects.
Though he endured a rare setback in the Under-19 Asia Cup final against Pakistan, the young batter has shown resilience by bouncing back immediately on the domestic stage. On a day meant to celebrate established icons, it was Vaibhav Suryavanshi's audacious hundred that truly defined the Vijay Hazare Trophy's opening chapter - and hinted at a special future ahead.
