India under-19 are in the driver’s seat during the first unofficial Test against Australia in Chennai, having bowled their opponents out before racing away in reply. Their batting effort, which reached 103-0 in 14 overs by stumps, was led by Vaibhav Suryavanshi (81* off 47), who records list as being 13 years old.
The first Test of the two-match series between the teams began with Australua U19 skipper Simon Budge winning the toss and opting to bat first. Having been whitewashed 3-0 in the ODI series, Australia would have been eager to put up a strong show in the Test matches and started cautiously, navigating the early loss of Steven Hogan.
Riley Kingsell (53 in 77) and Oliver Peake (29) stitched together 57 runs for the second wicket before the former was sent back by spinner Soham Pathwardhan. Australia lost three quick wickets and fell from 96-1 to 115-4, which soon became 152-6.
The late middle-order then provided some resistance, with No.8 Aidan O’Connor combining with Christian Howe for a 98-run stand. O’Connor, who had impressed with the ball during the ODI series, scored his first under-19 fifty, with his innings containing seven fours and two sixes.
Australia were eventually dismissed for 293 in the 72nd over, with India’s medium pacer Samarth Nagaraj and 17-year-old leg-spinner Mohamed Enaan picking up three wickets each.
13-year-old Indian opener steals the show
India’s batting followed the senior men’s team’s approach on the day. As the India senior side raced away to the fastest team 250 during their Test against Bangladesh, the juniors tried to follow in their footsteps, making 103 in just 14 overs at a run rate of 7.36.
While Vihaan Malhotra was unbeaten on 21 off 37 balls at stumps, fellow opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who made his Ranji Trophy debut at the reported age of 12 last year, stole the show with an unbeaten 81 in 47 balls.
He was particularly impressive on the off-side, with his knock coming at a strike rate of 172.34.
While Suryavanshi’s official age is listed at 13 currently, there remains some confusion over it. In an interview in 2023, the left-hander who plays for Bihar said he would turn 14 on September 27 last year, which would now make him a 15-year-old. However, the BCCI enlists him as a 13-year-old with his birthday on March 27, 2011. According to ESPNcricinfo, the Bihar Cricket Association has the same birth date listed for him.
Suryavanshi has previously played in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy as well as the Under-19 Challenger Trophy, following which he was picked for the Quadrangular series, also featuring Bangladesh and England.
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