Doha: Young opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi smashed a blistering joint second fastest T20 hundred by an Indian batter, propelling India A to a thumping 148-run win over United Arab Emirates in the Asia Cup Rising Stars here on Friday.
Suryavanshi made 144 off 42 balls (11x4s, 15x6s) and skipper Jitesh Sharma scored 83 off 32b as India piled up a massive 297 for 4 in 20 overs.
UAE were never in contention and ended up at 149/7, with left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh (3/18) leading India’s bowling effort.
UAE middle-order batter Shoaib Khan made a 41-ball 63 to offer a token of resistance.
But Suryvanshi was the brightest star in the desert night, bringing up his hundred in just 32 balls to equal Rishabh Pant’s mark made for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh in 2018.
The l4-year-old brought up his century with a nicely timed four off pacer Muhammad Arfan in the 10th over.
Suryvanshi had a silent partner in Naman Dhir (34), and the second wicket pair added 168 runs in a little over 10 overs as runs flowed in at 16 per over.
However, Suryavanshi could not overhaul compatriots Abhishek Sharma and Urvil Patel, the fastest Indian hundred-makers in T20s — off 28 balls.
Suryavanshi batted in a single gear throughout his innings, and the UAE left-arm spinner Harshit Kaushik was at the receiving end of the Indian’s aggression.
Kaushik, who came to bowl in the 11th over, was punished for four sixes and a four as a total 30 runs cascaded.
Suryavanshi was cruising at a strike rate of 348 at that time and eventually he fell to off-spinner Mohammed Farazuddin, skying a catch to Ahmed Tariq in the deep.
India were 195 for three in 12.3 overs then. His dismissal temporarily slowed down India, but Jitesh picked up the speed quickly.
Jitesh reached his fifty in 24 balls with a six off Arfan, then waded into the pacer in the 19th over, smashing him for 6, 4, 4, 6 ad 6 as 28 runs were plundered.
Chasing 298 was never in the capacity of the UAE batters, and their genuine hope was just to keep the margin of defeat as low as possible.
But even that was tough against a quality Indian attack that contained first-class regulars.
