Competition For Vaibhav Sooryavanshi As Rajasthan Royals Teammate Slams Record Breaking Century

By Suresh

**A New Rhythm in the Middle Order: Pretorius' Maiden T20I Ton** Like the opening *alap* of a raga that slowly builds into a sweeping *thumri*, South Africa's victory over Namibia in Windhoek on Friday unfolded in beautiful crescendo. The Proteas edged out the hosts by 11 runs in a high-scoring thriller, and the maestro of this performance was young batter Lhuandre Pretorius—smashing his maiden T20I century off just 53 balls (101, with 5 fours and 8 sixes) as South Africa posted a towering 228/4. **A Record That Echoes Across Generations** At 20 years and 161 days, Pretorius has etched his name into the record books as the youngest batter to score a T20I hundred against a Full Member nation—surpassing Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai (20y 337d, vs Ireland, 2019). **The Sooryavanshi Connection** Here is where the melody becomes familiar. Pretorius' knock inevitably invites comparison with India's Vaibhav Sooryavanshi—a fellow prodigy chasing the same "youngest international centurion" distinction. Interestingly, both players share the Rajasthan Royals dressing room, teammates by profession, rivals by ambition. Sooryavanshi, just 15, has already rewritten the record books as the youngest to make an international debut and register an international fifty. He came agonizingly close to his maiden ton vs Zimbabwe (81 off 49), but time is gently on his side. The upcoming Afghanistan series and the Asian Games await as his next stage. **The Match That Was** Pretorius and Connor Esterhuizen (88) shared a 156-run opening stand en route to South Africa's 5th-highest T20I total. Namibia fought back through Jan Frylinck (72) and Lourens Steenkamp (61), with a 119-run first-wicket stand, reaching 217/3. Zimbabwe, benefiting from the result, finish above Namibia and will face South Africa in Sunday's final. Source: NDTV Sports