After decimating bowling attacks in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and across the world, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi now has a clear target: becoming the first player in history to score a double century in T20 cricket. The 15-year-old has set his sights on one of the format’s most iconic records – Chris Gayle’s unbeaten 175 – hoping to etch his name into the history books. Gayle’s 175 remains the highest individual score in T20 cricket history. The West Indies legend unleashed absolute carnage for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Pune Warriors India during the 2013 IPL season. More than a decade later, the record still stands untouched, but with Sooryavanshi now openly targeting it, Gayle’s long-standing milestone could finally come under serious threat.
“I want to score 200 in T20,” Sooryavanshi told Kevin Pietersen on the latest episode of The Switch. After KP reminded him, “Chris Gayle’s got 175,” Sooryavanshi made his intentions clear again, just so we don’t miss. “Yeah, I want to break his record and score 200.
“If I play 20 overs in any game, I definitely will break that record.”
Sooryavanshi has come close twice already
Sooryavanshi has previously come close to breaching the 200-run mark twice. He scored 190 for Bihar in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, to go with a blistering 175 in the final of the Under-19 World Cup. His highest T20 score currently stands at 144, and there is every reason to believe he can eventually pull off the unprecedented feat. In November last year, against the UAE in the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup, Sooryavanshi registered the joint third-fastest century by an Indian in T20 cricket. The knock placed him alongside names such as Rishabh Pant, Abhishek Sharma and Urvil Patel in elite company.
{{/usCountry}}Sooryavanshi has previously come close to breaching the 200-run mark twice. He scored 190 for Bihar in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, to go with a blistering 175 in the final of the Under-19 World Cup. His highest T20 score currently stands at 144, and there is every reason to believe he can eventually pull off the unprecedented feat. In November last year, against the UAE in the ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup, Sooryavanshi registered the joint third-fastest century by an Indian in T20 cricket. The knock placed him alongside names such as Rishabh Pant, Abhishek Sharma and Urvil Patel in elite company.
{{/usCountry}}As he continues to evolve, with more T20 tours and opportunities lined up, Sooryavanshi has now set his sights on the Everest of T20 batting.
Back in 2010, when few believed it was even possible, Sachin Tendulkar rewrote history by becoming the first batter to score a double century in ODI cricket – an unbeaten 200 against South Africa in Gwalior. Sixteen years later, Sooryavanshi, already drawing comparisons with the great man for his extraordinary talent and growing reputation, has fixed his eyes on the prize.
Last year, Sooryavanshi blasted 143 against England U19, bringing up his century in just 52 balls. It was the fastest hundred ever recorded in Youth ODI cricket. While he was unaware of the record at the time, the youngster revealed after the match that his real ambition was to eventually breach the 200-run mark.
“I will try to score 200 in the next match. I will try to play the full 50 overs. The more I score, more the team will benefit,” he had said.