U-19 Star Harvansh Singh's Rapid Century Against England Sparks Rishabh Pant Comparisons

Harvansh Singh's Blistering Century Sparks 'Next Rishabh Pant' Buzz

Harvansh Singh with his father. (Image: Special Arrangement)

India's U-19 wicketkeeper-batter, Harvansh Singh Pangalia, has ignited a wave of excitement after smashing a breathtaking century in a warm-up match against England U-19 on Tuesday. His explosive innings has drawn comparisons to the dynamic Rishabh Pant, known for his aggressive batting style.

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 contributed a brisk 72 off 47 deliveries before his dismissal. At this juncture, Pangalia had already raced to 47 off 33 balls and swiftly reached his half-century with a boundary on the subsequent ball.

The final three overs witnessed an astonishing display of power-hitting from Pangalia. He commenced the 48th over with consecutive sixes off Manny Lumsden, who then compounded the pressure with two no-balls. Another six followed in the next over, this time off Matthew Firbank, but the real fireworks were reserved for the last over. Pangalia unleashed a barrage of shots against Lumsden, including a four and three towering sixes – the last of which brought up a sensational century in a mere 52 balls. Remarkably, his second fifty was achieved in a lightning-quick 18 deliveries.

India's innings concluded with a formidable total of 442/9. Pangalia remained unbeaten, having struck an impressive nine sixes. The young wicketkeeper-batter, representing Saurashtra's youth team, had previously grabbed attention with an equally aggressive 117 against Australia in a Youth Test last October, where he registered seven boundaries and six sixes.

Harvansh Singh, India U-19 wicketkeeper-batter, originates from Gandhidham, a small town situated in Gujarat's Rann of Kutch. His passion for cricket stemmed from watching his father, Damandeep Singh, and uncle, Kunwarajeet Singh, both of whom were wicketkeepers in their local cricket scene. Currently, Harvansh's family resides in Canada, where his father works as a truck driver in Brampton. Harvansh, however, lives in Gandhidham with his mother and has vowed to bring his parents back to India one day.

Damandeep recounts how a video of Yuvraj Singh's iconic six sixes ignited his son's obsession with the sport, leading him to aspire to represent 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 shared in an interview with TimesofIndia.com.