Doha, Nov 14 (IANS) Soon after scoring a 32-ball century to help India ‘A’ hand UAE a big defeat in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 opener in Doha on Friday, teen sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi said he played his natural game as it was a T20 format.

Suryavanshi rewrote record books yet again, hammering a breathtaking 144 off just 42 deliveries to set up India A’s thumping 148-run win over UAE. His extraordinary effort powered India ‘A’ to 297 for 4, the joint fifth-highest total in men’s T20 cricket, before the bowlers sealed a commanding victory.

“It was just my natural game, and it’s the T20 format, so I wanted to back my own game,” Suryavanshi said after his knock. “I was dropped first ball, but I just thought I didn’t want to change my intent because we needed a big score on this ground. The wicket was good and the boundary was small. So I was trying to back my shots,” Suryavanshi told Telecom Asia Sport (www.telecomasia.net).

Suryavanshi’s knock was an exhibition of clean, fearless hitting. The 14-year-old left-hander smashed 11 fours and 15 sixes, finishing with a strike rate of 342.85, the fourth-highest ever for a T20 score of 100 or more.

His century, reached in 32 balls, is now the joint-second fastest by an Indian in men’s T20s, alongside Rishabh Pant’s 2018 effort, and behind only the 28-ball tons by Urvil Patel and Abhishek Sharma in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024. Overall, it stands as the joint-fifth fastest century in T20 cricket history.

The 14-year-old credited his father for helping him stay focused during games. “Because of how he was strict with me since childhood. Earlier, I used to think. Why is he being so strict? But now I understand that the benefit of those things can be seen on the ground, that he didn’t let me get distracted and kept me focused on cricket, and made sure that I keep working hard. So I will say that whatever I have, it is thanks to my father,” he added.

He also played down talk of feeling pressure, despite drawing attention at a young age. “There is no pressure. Because the fans have come to support,” he said. “And after going to the ground, the field outside the ground doesn’t come to mind. Then my focus is on playing the ball.”

–IANS

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