Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes youngest centurion but Maharashtra edge Bihar by 3 wickets

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, just 14, became the youngest centurion in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy history with a sparkling 108 not out. Despite his heroics, Maharashtra chased down Bihar’s 176, led by Prithvi Shaw’s blistering 66, to win by three wickets

Kolkata: The supremely talented Vaibhav Suryavanshi hit a sparkling 61-ball 108 not out, but it went in vain as Maharashtra defeated Bihar by three wickets in their Elite Group B match of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy here on Tuesday.

Asked to bat, the 14-year-old opener combined power with patience, smashing seven fours and seven sixes to become the youngest centurion in the history of the tournament as he guided Bihar to 176 for three.

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In reply, skipper Prithvi Shaw set the tone with a brutal 30-ball 66, while Niraj Joshi (30), Ranjeet Nikam (27) and Nikhil Naik (22) chipped in with crucial contributions to take Maharashtra home with five balls to spare.

Mohd Izhar (2/22) and Sakibul Gani (2/50) claimed two wickets each, while Sakib Hussain (1/40), Suraj Kashyap (1/35) and Khalid Alam (1/34) picked up a wicket apiece to keep Bihar in the contest, but Maharashtra held their nerves.

Earlier, Suryavanshi broke Bihar’s record for most sixes in a T20 innings with his tally of seven. The 14-year-old also added 75 runs with Ayush Loharuka (25 not out) for the fourth wicket — Bihar’s highest stand for that wicket in T20 cricket.

The teen batter, who had smashed a whirlwind 42-ball 144 against UAE in the Rising Stars Asia Cup, reached three figures in the 20th over, hitting the first ball from Arshin Kulkarni for a boundary.

For Maharashtra, Rajvardhan Hangargekar (1/35), Arshin Kulkarni (1/39) and Vicky Ostwal (1/26) were among the wicket-takers.

At Jadavpur University, Goa notched up a seven-wicket win over Madhya Pradesh, riding on fifties from skipper Suyash Prabhudessai (75 not out) and Abhinav Tejrana (55), while Arjun Tendulkar claimed three wickets.

Brief Scores:

Maharashtra 182 for 7 in 19.1 overs (Prithvi Shaw 66; Mohd Izhar 2/22) beat Bihar 176 for 3 in 20 overs (Vaibhav Suryavanshi 108; Vicky Ostwal 1/26) by 3 wickets.

Goa 171 for 3 in 18.3 overs (Suyash Prabhudessai 75 not out; Tripuresh Singh 1/27) beat Madhya Pradesh 170 for 6 in 20 overs (Harpreet Singh 80; Arjun Tendulkar 3/36) by 7 wickets.