India U-19 Rising Star Harvansh Singh Blasts Record-Breaking Century, Draws Rishabh Pant Comparisons

Harvansh Singh Smashes Century Off 52 Balls: Is He the Next Rishabh Pant?

India U-19 wicketkeeper-batter Harvansh Singh Pangalia delivered a stunning performance on Tuesday, scoring a blistering century in a warm-up match against England U-19.

Harvansh Singh with his father celebrating his achievements.

Coming to the crease with the score at 251/7 in the 36th over, Harvansh Singh Pangalia partnered with RS Ambrish, and together they forged a crucial 126-run stand. Ambrish played a dominant role in the partnership, scoring a fluent 72 off 47 balls before his dismissal. By this point, Pangalia had already reached 47 off 33 balls and swiftly reached his half-century with a boundary on the subsequent delivery.

In the final three overs, Pangalia launched a remarkable assault. He started the 48th over with consecutive sixes off Manny Lumsden, who then bowled two no-balls in a row. The following over witnessed another six off Matthew Firbank, but the real fireworks were reserved for the last over. Pangalia hammered Lumsden for a four, followed by three towering sixes – his final maximum bringing up a magnificent century in just 52 balls. Notably, his second fifty was achieved at lightning speed, taking a mere 18 balls.

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By the innings' conclusion, India had amassed a formidable 442/9. Pangalia remained unbeaten, having smashed nine sixes. The young wicketkeeper-batter, who represents Saurashtra’s youth team, had previously impressed with an aggressive 117 against Australia in a Youth Test last October, where he struck seven boundaries and six sixes.

Who is Harvansh Singh?

Harvansh Singh, the India U-19 wicketkeeper-batter, comes from Gandhidham, a small town in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch. He was inspired by his father, Damandeep Singh, and uncle, Kunwarajeet Singh, who both played cricket and were also wicketkeepers. Currently, Harvansh's family resides in Canada, where his father works as a truck driver in Brampton. Harvansh stays in Gandhidham with his mother and has vowed to bring them back to India one day.

Damandeep never imagined that a video of Yuvraj Singh's six sixes would ignite his son's passion for the game, leading him to dedicate himself to representing his country.

"Even Rajkot is 200 km away from our city. It was only in 2012 when the Saurashtra Cricket Association (SCA) opened an academy in our town. I enrolled Harvansh in it when he was six. He picked up keeping from me, as I used to don the gloves as well. But he turned southpaw because of Yuvraj Singh. He's a massive Yuvraj fan and hasn't even seen peak Yuvraj, but he was obsessed with the video of him hitting six sixes off Stuart Broad," Damandeep told TimesofIndia.com in an interview.