Suryavanshi Leads India A to Glorious Victory in Doha’s Desert Showdown

Young opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi delivered an explosive performance, hitting the joint-second-fastest T20 century by an Indian player, to lead India A to a commanding 148-run victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Asia Cup Rising Stars on Friday.

Suryavanshi (144 runs from 42 balls, including 11 fours and 15 sixes) teamed up with captain Jitesh Sharma (83 runs from 32 balls, featuring 8 fours and 6 sixes) to help India amass a colossal 297 for four in just 20 overs.

UAE managed to score 149 for seven, with left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh spearheading India’s bowling effort with figures of three for 18. UAE’s middle-order batsman Shoaib Khan put up a token resistance with a 41-ball 63.

Suryavanshi was the standout performer, reaching his century in just 32 balls, matching Rishabh Pant’s 2018 record for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh. The 14-year-old achieved his milestone with a skillful four off pacer Muhammad Arfan in the 10th over.

Suryavanshi found a quiet partner in Naman Dhir (34 runs), as they contributed 168 runs for the second wicket in a little over 10 overs, scoring at a rate of 16 runs per over. However, Suryavanshi fell short of surpassing Abhishek Sharma and Urvil Patel, who hold the record for the fastest T20 century by an Indian at 28 balls. Throughout his innings, Suryavanshi maintained a relentless approach, particularly targeting UAE’s left-arm spinner Harshit Kaushik, who was hit for four sixes and a four in the 11th over, conceding 30 runs.

With a strike rate of 348, Suryavanshi eventually succumbed to off-spinner Mohammed Faraazuddin, caught by Ahmed Tariq in the deep.

At that point, India was 195 for three in 12.3 overs. Suryavanshi’s departure momentarily slowed India down, but Jitesh Sharma quickly kept the momentum going. Jitesh reached his half-century in 24 balls with a six off Arfan, and then went on a run-scoring spree in the 19th over, striking 6, 4, 4, 6, and 6, adding 28 runs to the total.

Pursuing a 298-run target proved beyond UAE, as they ultimately settled for second place against a formidable Indian side featuring First-Class regulars.

Published on Nov 14, 2025.