Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the toast of Team India’s first win under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, as they defeated Zimbabwe in the first T20I on July 23 in Harare. India captain Iyer won the toss and chose to bowl first.
Mayank Yadav, returning to the Indian team, struck twice early, removing Brian Bennett and Dion Myers. Then Prince Yadav dismissed debutant Ben Curran for ten runs, while Shivam Dube dismissed skipper Sikandar Raza for four runs.
Ryan Burl (26), Wessly Madhevere (39), and Tadiwanashe Marumani (27*) guided Zimbabwe to a comfortable 125/7 in 20 overs. Mayank Yadav and Prince Yadav took two wickets each for India.
In response, after losing Abhishek Sharma early for one run, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi attacked the Zimbabwe bowlers. He slammed 4 sixes and 4 fours in his 19-ball 50 knock. Thanks to this, Sooryavanshi became the youngest ever to score a fifty in T20I and international cricket at the age of 15 years and 118 days.
After his record-breaking knock, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi noted that having an impact early in his international career has given him the confidence to produce regularly. Reflecting on his match-winning innings, Sooryavanshi said performing in the early stages of his career has strengthened his belief heading into future matches.
“When it’s the starting phase of your career and you get these kinds of innings early on and you perform well, it builds confidence for the upcoming matches. I felt like I was in my zone, and I just backed my strengths.
I would dedicate this fifty to my family, my coaches, and everyone who has supported me through every good and bad phase,” Sooryavanshi said in a video shared by BCCI.
Sooryavanshi made an "A" sign with both hands above his head and then gave the thumbs up to commemorate achieving his half-century. He explained the festivities, saying that the "A" was an homage to his mother, Aarti.
“I did that celebration for my mum, and the other one was based on a conversation with Rinku Bhai,” Sooryavanshi stated.
Sooryavanshi's 19-ball fifty surpassed Nepal's Kushal Malla, who was 15 years and 340 days old when he produced an ODI half-century against the United States in 2020.
The milestone also made him the youngest Indian to score an international fifty, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 59 against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 213 days.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has had great success in Harare. He had smashed 175 off 80 balls against England in the ICC Under-19 World Cup final at the same ground, helping India clinch a record sixth Under-19 World Cup title.
His fifty against Zimbabwe also marked a welcome return to form after scores of 14, 13, and 15 in his first three T20Is against England.
“You could say I like the vibe here. There are some grounds where you just love scoring runs. Maybe it’s like that, but I’m not taking the opportunity for granted. I’m just trying to give my best, contribute to the team, and perform well whenever I play,” he said.
After Sooryavanshi got out, Ishan Kishan (35) and Shreyas Iyer (28*) ensured that India won the game with 7 wickets in hand in 13.2 overs, putting them ahead 1-0 in the series.
