Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced an impressive display of batting power to power India A to a resounding 66-run victory over Sri Lanka A in the tri-series final on Sunday.The young sensation smashed 94 in just 29 games, making it one of the most devastating innings seen in List A cricket. His knock helped India A pile up 377 for nine before restricting Sri Lanka A to 311 in reply.When the pacer Yash Thakur he returned figures of 3/45 and spinner Vipraj Nigam claimed 3/60, the match was largely made up of Sooryavanshi’s incredible batting at the top of the order.Sri Lanka A faced a formidable chase from the start and needed a strong start and a solid partnership to stay in contention. Instead, their innings stumbled early as Niroshan Dickwella, Avishka Fernando and Nuwanidu Fernando were all dismissed with just 75 runs on the board inside the first 10 overs.The fans tried to rebuild through a 53-run-wicket stand between Sadeera Samarawickrama, who made 52, and captain Sahan Arachchige, who contributed 38. Later, Wanuj Sahan scored 62 and shared a 77-run partnership for the seventh wicket with Vijayakanth39 Viyaskanth ().However, these efforts were not enough against a target that wanted to score continuously at more than eight runs per over. Sri Lanka A eventually crossed the 300-run mark but did not threaten India’s all-round attack.Earlier, India A’s innings was dominated by Sooryavanshi, who came out of the tournament surprisingly quiet after being asked to bat first.The 15-year-old from Samastipur in Bihar came out with an attacking intent and immediately put pressure on the Sri Lankan bowlers. He also set the record books by reaching his middle age in just 11 balls, surpassing the previous List A record by Sri Lanka’s Kaushalya Weeraratne, who took 12 runs to bring up his fifty in 2005.His first 11 overs produced an incredible 50 runs. The score read 4, 4, 4, 6, 6, 0, 6, 4, 4, 6, 6 when he started hitting the ball from the beginning. The incident came on a six-run back-to-back straight down the stretch from pacer Dulaj Samudith.Sooryavanshi mixed brutal energy with good timing throughout his tenure. Initially focused on the leg side against the seamers, he later expanded his range to the off side after Sri Lanka A changed their position. Even the good pick-ups disappeared from the stands as they continued to bat.Some of the highlights of the innings were his lofted drives over extra cover. The effortless trio in the area has shown the bat speed, grit and confidence that have made him one of India’s most exciting youngsters.Along with Priyansh Arya, who scored 39, Sooryavanshi put on 132 runs for the opening wicket and appeared on course to register the fastest century in List A Cricket.The shootout ended in the ninth hour when paceman Sahan Arachchige fired through the middle. Arya departed in the next round, giving Sri Lanka hope.Ruturaj Gaikwad then he made 40 and added 63 runs along with captain Tilak Varma for the third wicket. Tilak posted an innings with 67 runs from 90 balls as the scoring rate dropped slightly.India A lost wickets every now and then trying to run to the end, but they came late from Anukula Roywho hit 39 off 15 balls, and Vipraj Nigam, who hit 27 off 20 balls, ensured that his tally crossed the 350 mark.However, in the end, the last one belonged to Sooryavanshi, whose incredible innings laid the platform for the win and another reminder of his immense potential.
