India, Jan. 6 -- Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 14, kicked off 2026 with a bang as he hit a whirlwind half-century in the 2nd Youth ODI of the three-match series against South Africa U19 at the Willowmoore Park in Benoni. The left-handed batter, who is leading India U19 in the absence of Ayush Mhatre, slammed a fifty off just 15 balls, blowing the wind out of South Africa's bowling attack, and as a result, he recorded the fastest-ever fifty in a Youth ODI. The stand-in captain eventually was dismissed for 68 from 24 balls, which saw him hit one boundary and 10 sixes.

With this knock, Suryavanshi broke Rishabh Pant's record for the fastest fifty in a Youth ODI. Earlier, the left-handed batter had hit a half-century off just 18 balls in the 2016 U19...