Harvansh Singh's Blistering Century Ignites 'Next Rishabh Pant' Hype: India U-19 Star Smashes England Attack

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.

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 fluid 72 off 47 deliveries before his dismissal. Up to that point, Pangalia had already accumulated 47 runs from 33 balls and swiftly reached his half-century with a boundary on the subsequent ball.

In the final three overs, Pangalia unleashed a sensational onslaught. He commenced the 48th over with consecutive sixes off Manny Lumsden, who then bowled two no-balls in succession. The following over witnessed another six, this time off Matthew Firbank, but the true fireworks were reserved for the last over. Pangalia hammered Lumsden for a four, followed by three towering sixes – his final maximum bringing up a remarkable century in a mere 52 deliveries. Notably, his second fifty was achieved at breakneck speed, requiring only 18 balls.

By the end of the innings, India had amassed a formidable total of 442/9. Pangalia remained unbeaten, having clobbered nine sixes. The young wicketkeeper-batter, who represents 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 originates from Gandhidham, a small town in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch. Growing up, he watched his father, Damandeep Singh, and uncle, Kunwarajeet Singh, both of whom played cricket in their town and, interestingly, were also wicketkeepers. Currently, Harvansh's family resides in Canada, where his father works as a truck driver in Brampton. Harvansh lives in Gandhidham with his mother and has pledged to his father that he will eventually bring them back to India.

Damandeep never anticipated that a video of Yuvraj Singh's six sixes would ignite such a passion for the game in his son, leading him to 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.