Team India batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the first men’s player to amass two half-centuries before turning 16 as he surpassed Nepal’s Kushal Malla to script a new record. Sooryavanshi’s second fifty came in the third and final T20I against Zimbabwe. The southpaw managed 81 runs off 49 balls, laced with 8 fours and 4 sixes.
After failing in three consecutive matches against England, he was dropped for the last game of the five-match series. However, with no Sanju Samson in the team for the Zimbabwe tour, Vaibhav opened the innings with Abhishek Sharma. In the series opener, he posted 50 runs off 19 balls to become the youngest batter in history to achieve the feat. He accumulated 20 runs off 9 balls in the second game.
In the ZIM vs IND 2026 3rd T20I, Sooryavanshi once again showed his class and skills, hitting Zimbabwe bowlers for boundaries and maximums to keep the rivals under pressure.
Fifty-plus scores before turning 16 in men’s international matches
2 – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
1 – Kushal Malla
Malla had smashed his maiden half-century on his ODI debut against the United States of America in February 2020.
After scoring over 750 runs for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, he was selected for the T20I bilateral assignment against Ireland, England, Zimbabwe and the Asian Games 2026. He didn’t play in the two-match series against the Irish side and was not considered for the first match against England.
The team management dropped veteran Sanju Samson for the next three games to give a chance to the Bihar-based cricketer before he was shown the door.
He is taking tips from the wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan, who spoke about the importance of the teenager staying away from distractions, saying the senior members of the team are trying to keep him motivated to keep his focus on the game rather than the hype on social media.
Kishan had heaped massive praise on the batter, saying the 15-year-old has a good understanding of his fame and how to behave on and off the field.
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