Not Vaibhav Suryavanshi! This India U19 Star Breaks Brendon McCullum's Long-Standing Record

India U19 came very close to winning the second unofficial Test match against England U19 at Chelmsford. However, a collapse in the final session stopped them from achieving a famous win. In the end, the match ended in a thrilling draw.
India were chasing a huge target of 335 runs on the final day. Not many people expected the young Indian team to go for the win. But the boys, led by captain Ayush Mhatre, surprised everyone by going after the target from the very first ball even though their star opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi was dismissed for a golden duck.

But from there on, Ayush Mhatre took charge. The 18-year-old played one of the best knocks in Youth Test history and smashed a century off just 64 balls. It was the third-fastest century ever in Youth Test matches. Mhatre finally got out after scoring a brilliant 126 runs from 80 balls. His innings included 13 fours and six massive sixes.

What is Ayush Mhatre Record Youth Test?

Mhatre had already scored 80 runs in the first innings. That took his total in the match to 206 runs. With a strike rate of 121.17 across both innings, Mhatre became only the second batter in Youth Test history to score over 200 runs in a match at a strike rate of more than 100.

The first player to achieve this feat was the legendary New Zealand batter, Brendon McCullum, who had scored 186 off 172 balls in the first innings and followed it with 46 not out from 42 balls in the second innings of a Youth Test against South Africa in 2001. His combined strike rate in that match was 108.41. Ayush Mhatre Brendon McCullum comparison is a huge moment for the youngster so early in his career.

Mhatre also broke another record. He hit nine sixes in the match. This is the most sixes ever hit in a Youth Test match. He broke the previous record held by Manoj Tiwary. Overall, the India Under-19 captain looked in fantastic form with the bat and almost took his team over the line.

Series Ends in a Draw

This was not the first time the youngster has performed well on the tour. He had also scored a century in the first unofficial Test match. That match also ended in a draw. India were in a strong position at one point on the final day. They had scored 217 runs for the loss of only two wickets in the 28th over. A win looked very possible at that stage.

But then things went wrong for the visitors. India lost four quick wickets for just 46 runs. That sudden collapse gave England a chance to fight back. The pressure was now on India to save the match. Harvansh Pangalia and Kanishk Chouhan then stepped up. The pair decided to play carefully and block the remaining balls. They remained unbeaten on 29 and 12 runs respectively. Thanks to their calm batting, India finished at 290 for 6 in 43 overs. The match ended in a draw.
Both unofficial Test matches between India U19 and England U19 ended in draws. However, the series gave fans a lot of entertainment. Earlier, India had won the five-match Youth ODI series 3-2. In that series, Vaibhav Suryavanshi was the star performer. He scored 355 runs in five matches. His best knock came in the fourth ODI, where he smashed a brilliant 143 runs.
This England tour has given India U19 many positives. Ayush Mhatre’s fearless batting and Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s ODI brilliance were the major highlights. The team showed great spirit and fighting skills, especially in unfamiliar English conditions. Ayush Mhatre record-breaking knock in this match ensured that the Indian youth team ended the tour on a high.