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

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

India U-19 wicketkeeper-batter Harvansh Singh Pangalia showcased his explosive batting prowess on Tuesday, smashing a blistering century in a warm-up match against England U-19.

Coming to the crease with the score at 251/7 in the 36th over, Harvansh Singh partnered with RS Ambrish, forging a crucial 126-run stand. Ambrish played a dominant role in the partnership, scoring a fluent 72 off 47 deliveries before his dismissal. At this point, Pangalia had already accelerated to 47 off 33 balls and swiftly reached his half-century with a boundary off the very next ball.

Pangalia unleashed a remarkable assault in the final three overs. He commenced the 48th over with consecutive sixes off Manny Lumsden, who subsequently bowled two no-balls in a row. The following over witnessed another six off Matthew Firbank, but the true fireworks erupted in the final over. Pangalia hammered Lumsden for a four, followed by three towering sixes. His final six secured a brilliant century in just 52 deliveries. Notably, his second fifty came at lightning speed, requiring only 18 balls.

By the innings' conclusion, India had amassed a formidable total of 442/9. Pangalia remained unbeaten, having clobbered nine sixes. The young wicketkeeper-batter, representing Saurashtra's youth team, had previously garnered attention with a similarly aggressive 117 against Australia in a Youth Test last October, where he struck seven boundaries and six sixes.

Who is Harvansh Singh?

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

Damandeep never anticipated that a video of Yuvraj Singh's six sixes would ignite his son's passion for the game to the extent that he would commit 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.