While the Indian senior team’s narrow loss at Lord’s under Shubman Gill’s captaincy disappointed fans, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi brought fresh excitement with a stunning performance in the Under-19 Test match against England. Playing in Beckenham, the young batter treated the match like a T20 game, dismantling the English bowling attack with fearless strokeplay and lightning pace.

In India’s second innings of the four-day match, Vaibhav smashed a powerful 56 runs off just 44 deliveries. His aggressive knock included 9 crisp boundaries and a towering six, giving India the explosive start they needed. Opening the innings with captain Ayush Mhatre, the duo put on a rapid 77-run partnership in just 12 overs, scoring at over six runs per over. After Mhatre departed for 32, Vaibhav continued the assault, adding another 22 runs with Vihaan Malhotra before getting out.

His fireworks weren’t limited to the second innings. In the first innings, Vaibhav had chipped in with a quick 14 off 13 balls, hitting 3 fours. Across both innings, he tallied 70 runs in 57 balls, with a total of 13 boundaries—proving his ability to make an impact in red-ball cricket with a white-ball mindset.

By the end of the third day, India’s Under-19 team had gained a commanding 229-run lead. With one day remaining in the match, they will aim to bowl out England early and seal a win. Having already clinched the five-match ODI series 3-2, a win in this first Test would put India ahead in the two-match red-ball series as well. Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s explosive performance may well be remembered as the turning point in this contest.