On Saturday, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added another honour to his burgeoning career as India’s men’s cricket team defeated Pakistan by 19 runs to successfully defend their Asian Games gold medal at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin. In the final, the 15-year- old batted first for India, scoring 15 runs from nine balls, after which India reached 211/6. Sooryavanshi has now become the youngest Indian ever to win a gold medal at the Asian Games, achieving this feat at the age of 15 years, 6 months, and 6 days.
In doing so, Sooryavanshi surpassed Saurabh Chaudhary, the 16-year, 3-month, and 9-day- old shooter who won the men’s 10m air pistol gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Chaudhary still holds the record as the youngest Indian to win an individual Asian Games gold medal, whereas Sooryavanshi’s achievement was earned in the team cricket competition.
India scored 211 for 6 in the final, with Sooryavanshi hitting a quick 15 off nine balls, including two sixes. Pakistan were dismissed for 192 runs in 6 wickets, handing India the title. The win also ensured that India successfully kept the men’s cricket gold medal they had claimed at the Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2023.
The milestone follows just weeks after he was included in TIME magazine’s TIME100 Next Next list, where he was the sole Indian athlete featured and also the youngest person on the list. India’s gold in the final was powered by Abhishek Sharma, who blasted 61 off just 28 balls, and Tilak Varma, who remained not out on 51, despite Pakistan’s Hasan Nawaz putting up a fierce fight with a rapid 96 off 51 deliveries.
In the semi-final against Sri Lanka, Sooryavanshi took on a more prominent role, hitting 38 off just 21 balls to help India get off to a quick start on a difficult pitch. India scored 169 for 7 before bowling out Sri Lanka for 45, securing a 124-run victory in the match. India’s quarter-final against Afghanistan was abandoned and did not count as a completed innings for Sooryavanshi.
In his two completed innings at the tournament, the young player scored 53 runs at a strike rate of 176.66, leaving a strong impression on his debut at the Asian Games. His total of 53 runs across two innings highlights the aggressive approach he displayed at the top of the order throughout the tournament, especially in the knockout rounds under challenging conditions.
