Aaryavir Sehwag’s first boundary brought memories of his father, Virender Sehwag. But unlike his father, who loved to attack from the start, Aaryavir took his time on Monday.

With IPL scouts watching from the sidelines, he was in no hurry to score. He watched the ball closely, played it on its merit and moved his feet well. His stance is different from his father’s — compact, with a fair bit of movement before he settles into a shot.

There was no rush. He was happy to wait for the right ball, defend when required and put away anything loose. Slowly, he began to look comfortable, putting together an innings built more on patience than urgency.

He forged a 55-run stand with V.K. Vineeth, who replaced Arjun Rajput, to put India in command, and a maiden fifty for India U-19 seemed within reach when a mix-up with Vineeth ended his innings on 47. It was an unfortunate way to finish an otherwise composed knock.

Aaryavir walked back slowly, shaking his head and looking towards the middle every few steps. He was clearly disappointed; three runs short of what would have been his first fifty in Youth ODIs.

There was, however, a warm reception waiting for him. His teammates applauded as he made his way back to the dressing room.

The first boundary may have brought Sehwag senior to mind. The rest of the innings showed Aaryavir going about things in his own manner — rather quietly, patiently and with a good deal of composure.

Once he returned to the pavilion, Vineeth and vice-captain Yashbardhan Singh Chauhan took charge. Vineeth remained firm as he moved towards a gritty half-century, while Yashbardhan, fresh from being named Player of the Match in the previous game, found the boundary regularly. Dealing in fours and sixes, he raced to his second consecutive fifty.

It was a working Monday, but that did not keep the spectators away. A decent crowd gathered at the Niranjan Shah Stadium, and the teenagers gave them enough to cheer about.

Published on Sep 21, 2026