Vaibhav Sooryavanshi writes history, becomes first player to achieve remarkable T20I feat before turning 16 | Cricket News:

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued to rewrite records as the 15-year-old became only the first player in men’s international cricket to register multiple scores of 50 or more before turning 16.The left-handed opener achieved success during the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe in Harare on Sunday, scoring 81 off 48 balls to guide India to 192/5 after they elected to bat.Only Nepal’s Kushal Malla has previously recorded a 50-plus score in men’s internationals before turning 16. Sooryavanshi has now gone one better with two marks to his name.50-plus points before turning 16 in Men’s internationals

On a pitch that offered help to the bowlers, Sooryavanshi showed a different side to his batting.

He started cautiously, scoring 11 runs from his first 10 balls and 26 from his first 20 deliveries before bringing up his second T20I fifty off 31 balls.His innings still included some of the stroke play that became his trademark. He drove Brad Evans straight down the ground for four with a yorker and then launched off-spinner Sikandar Raza for a 102-metre six. He also reverse-swept Wesley Madhevere for a boundary.While Sooryavanshi settled down, opening partner Abhishek Sharma continued. Abhishek edged Blessing Muzarabani to wicketkeeper Tadi Marumani for two, extending his streak of low scores. His last six innings have produced 10, 16, 3, 1, 8 and 2, dating back to the third T20I against England in Nottingham last month.Sooryavanshi then added 75 runs for the second wicket with Ishan Kishan, who made 29, before sharing a 50-run partnership with captain Shreyas Iyer, who scored 27.The youngster looked to make a century before Wesley Madhevere dismissed him. Brad Evans completed a catch at long-on to end his innings on 81.India could not maintain the same scoring rate after the departure of Sooryavanshi and Shreyas. The middle order added just 47 runs in the last five overs, with Rinku Singh’s 25 off 14 balls helping India move closer to the 200-run mark.India finished on 192/5, a total that could prove competitive on a surface that offered help to the bowlers.