The opening day of the Vijay Hazare Trophy was expected to be dominated by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, but instead it turned into a celebration of extraordinary individual brilliance. Odisha opener Swastik Samal, Ishan Kishan and Sakibul Gani stole the spotlight, delivering record-breaking performances that made December 24 one of the most memorable days in Indian domestic cricket.
In Rajkot, Swastik Samal produced a career-defining knock, hammering a superb 169-ball 212 against Saurashtra.
The batting avalanche continued elsewhere as Bihar rewrote the record books, registering the highest-ever innings total in List A cricket. Powered by a dominant top-order display, Bihar piled up an astonishing 574/6 against Arunachal Pradesh, eclipsing Tamil Nadu’s previous world record of 506/2.
The innings was anchored by Vaibhav Suryavanshi, whose pure batting class yielded 190 off just 84 balls, laced with 16 fours and 15 sixes. Suryavanshi’s century is now the fourth-fastest by an Indian in List A cricket, behind his teammate Sakibul Gani, Ishan Kishan, and Punjab’s Anmolpreet Singh, who struck a 35-ball hundred against the same opposition in 2024. Although he fell just 10 runs short of a double century, Suryavanshi’s innings set the tone for history.
Bihar captain Sakibul Gani then added a layer of record-breaking brilliance, blasting a 32-ball century, the fastest ever by an Indian in List A cricket. Wicketkeeper-batter Ayush Loharuka added a commanding 116, helping Bihar close on an unprecedented 574/6 after 50 overs.
Not to be outdone, Ishan Kishan delivered a timely reminder of his destructive potential.
The Jharkhand wicketkeeper-batter smashed a sensational 33-ball century against Karnataka in Ahmedabad, the second-fastest List A hundred by an Indian after Gani’s knock, finishing with 125 off 39 balls at a staggering strike rate of 320.51, as Jharkhand posted 412/9.
With a double century, the fastest hundreds in Indian List A history, and the biggest team total ever recorded all unfolding on the same day, the Vijay Hazare Trophy opener showcased the remarkable depth, power and promise of India’s domestic batting talent.
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