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]Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Breaks Records With Fastest Century in ICC U19 World Cup Final
by K D Mishra
India opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered the best performance of his young life in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026 final against England in Harare on Friday. He scored a brilliant century in just 55 balls. This was the second-quickest century in U19 Cricket World Cup history. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did not stop there, and he played continuesly score 175 runs from 80 balls. His run included 15 fours and 15 sixes. The crowd saw something very special.
With this knock, Vaibhav became the youngest player to achieve the feat of scoring a hundred in U19 World Cup cricket history. Vaibhav also broke the record for scoring the most sixes in the U19 World Cup cricket tournament. Vaibhav scored 23 sixes in the tournament.
Vaibhav also finished as the top run-scorer of the 2026 U19 World Cup event. He becomes the sixth man in the U19 World Cup final to reach a hundred, also becoming the second Indian to do so.
The 14-year-old Vaibhav first gained his recognition in 2024 when he received a contract from the Indian Premier League from a team called Rajasthan Royals. The teenager scored a six on the very first ball of his IPL career. He also scored a very fast century, making him the youngest cricketer to achieve a century in T20.
India have won the U19 World Cup title five times already. Now they are looking to achieve a record sixth title. Under the leadership of Ayush Mhatre, India were able to get to the final without losing a single game.
Fastest century in Under-19 World Cup history
| Balls Faced | Player | Team | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | Will Malajczuk | Australia | Japan | Windhoek | 2026 |
| 55 | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | India | England | Harare | 2026 |
| 63 | Qasim Akram | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | North Sound | 2022 |
| 65 | Ben Mayes | England | Scotland | Harare | 2026 |
| 69 | Raj Bawa | India | Uganda | Tarouba | 2022 |
| Score | Player | Team | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 119* | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | India | England | Harare | 2026 |
| 111* | Unmukt Chand | India | Australia | Townsville | 2012 |
| 108 | Brett Williams | Australia | Pakistan | Adelaide | 1988 |
| 107 | Stephen Peters | England | New Zealand | Johannesburg | 1998 |
| 101* | Manjot Kalra | India | Australia | Mount Maunganui | 2018 |
| 100* | Jarrad Burke | Australia | South Africa | Lincoln | 2002 |
Most Sixes in an Innings in the ICC Under-19 World Cup
| Sixes | Player | Team | Opponent | Venue | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15* | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi | India | England | Harare | 2026 |
| 12 | Michael Hill | Australia | Namibia | Penang | 2008 |
| 11 | Craig Simmons | Australia | Kenya | Dunedin | 2002 |
