Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old sensation, fresh off his 190-run knock in the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Bihar, will miss the remainder of the premier 50-over domestic tournament, as confirmed by his childhood coach, Manish Ojha. The left-handed dasher will miss Friday’s match against Manipur as he has already travelled to the national capital, Delhi, to attend the Prime Minister’s National Children’s Award ceremony, where he will be recognised for his outstanding performance and achievements.
Speaking of the ceremony, the event will be held at Rashtrapati Bhavan and President Draupadi Murmu is slated to honour the children. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also scheduled to meet the awardees at the ceremony.
After the ceremony, the southpaw is expected to link up with the remainder of the India U19 squad and travel to Zimbabwe as the contingent prepares for the upcoming World Cup, which begins on January 15.
“Vaibhav won’t play today’s match because he is in Delhi to attend the Prime Minister’s National Children’s Award ceremony. He will be honoured at the ceremony. He had to report at 7 AM for the ceremony,” Ojha confirmed to Hindustan Times.
“He will miss the remainder of the Vijay Hazare Trophy because he has to get in sync for the U19 World Cup and hence will link up with the rest of the Indian team for preparatory matches,” he added.
Earlier this week, Suryavanshi smashed 190 runs off 84 balls against Arunachal Pradesh with the help of 16 fours and 15 sixes, helping Bihar post a world record score of 574/6 in 50 overs. The left-handed batter brought up his ton off just 36 balls. With the feat, Suryavanshi also became the youngest centurion in the history of List-A cricket.
Suryavanshi betters AB de Villiers
Owing to the 190-run knock, the youngster also bettered AB de Villiers’ fastest 150 in List A cricket by 10 deliveries. His haul of 15 sixes is also the most by an Indian in this format of the game.
Earlier, Suryavanshi was seen in action in the U19 Asia Cup. After hitting a 171 in the opening game against the United Arab Emirates, the southpaw failed to get going, and his downslide was the major reason behind India not being able to lift the title, losing to Pakistan in the final.
In the summit clash, Suryavanshi was also involved in a heated altercation with Pakistan pacer Ali Raza. The former pointed to his shoe after being given a send-off by the bowler. This action was criticised by several fans on social media.
Suryavanshi became a household name earlier this year with his exploits in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Rajasthan Royals. He registered the fastest century by an Indian, surpassing the three-figure mark off just 35 balls against Shubman Gill-led Gujarat Titans.
