New Delhi: On Saturday, December 21, Anmolpreet Singh made history by scoring the quickest-ever List A century by an Indian during the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Representing Punjab, Anmolpreet blasted a 35-ball hundred in the opening round of the tournament against Arunachal Pradesh at the Narendra Modi Stadium A Ground in Ahmedabad.
The 26-year-old Punjab batter has broken the Indian record held by Yusuf Pathan, who scored a century off 40 balls for Baroda against Maharashtra in 2010. This marks the third-fastest List A century ever recorded globally. Anmolpreet ranks behind only Australia’s Jake Fraser-McGurk and South Africa’s AB de Villiers. The young Australian sensation holds the world record for the quickest List A century, having scored a hundred off just 29 balls for South Australia in the Marsh Cup in October 2023.
AB de Villiers, the former South African cricketer, had struck a century off 31 balls, which remains the fastest in ODI history. This remarkable feat occurred during an ODI against the West Indies in January 2015.
Fastest List A centuries:
1 – Jake Fraser-McGurk: 29 balls for South Australia vs Tasmania
2 – AB de Villiers: 31 balls for South Africa vs West Indies
3 – Anmolpreet Singh: 35 balls for Punjab vs Arunachal Pradesh
4 – Corey Anderson: 36 balls for New Zealand vs West Indies
5 – Graham Rose: 36 balls for Somerset vs Devon
Anmolpreet Singh has previously been a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. Across nine appearances in the lucrative league, he has yet to make a significant mark. In those 9 games, he has accumulated 139 runs at an average of 15.44, with a top score of 36.
In the match, Punjab easily triumphed over Arunachal Pradesh. Anmolpreet walked in at No. 3 following the dismissal of captain Abhishek Sharma in the second over of the chase. He smashed 115 off 45 deliveries, guiding his team to chase down 165 in just 12.5 overs. Anmolpreet remained not out on 115, while Prabhsimran Singh contributed 35 from 25 balls.
