Vaibhav Suryavanshi (L) was dismissed by Ali Raza (R). | (Credits: Screengrab)
13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi fell cheaply in the ongoing India vs Pakistan U19 Asia Cup match at the Dubai International Stadium. The left-handed batter managed only a single after playing nine deliveries and it comes a few days after he became the youngest cricketer to land an IPL deal in the auction held at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Suryavanshi entered the auction at a base price of ₹30 lakh and triggered a reasonably intense bidding war and the Rajasthan Royals finally emerged victorious, sealing the deal at ₹1.10 crease. However, the southpaw was dismissed only for a single in the game against Pakistan, falling to Ali Raza after edging one behind the stumps to Saad Baig. Raza had also bagged Ayush Mhatre for 20 for his maiden scalp, hitting five boundaries.
Royals coach Rahul Dravid addressed their acquisition of Suryavanshi, asserting that he will get a good environment to hone his skills and said in an IPL video:
“I think he’s (Suryavanshi) got some really good skills, so we thought it might be a good environment for him to grow in. Vaibhav just came to our trials and we were really happy with what he saw.”
Shahzaib Hasan stars as Pakistan post a competitive 281 after winning a crucial toss
Meanwhile, Shahzaib Hasan top-scored for the Men in Green with 159 off 147 deliveries, laced with five fours and ten sixes to help their side to 281/7 in 50 overs. Pakistan were primed to score, but a late collapse meant they failed to go past the 300-run mark.
Samarth Nagaraj was the pick of the bowlers for India with figures of 10-1-45-3, while Mhatre snared a couple. Bangladesh are the defending champions on this occasion, having beaten the UAE last year to clinch the title.