Gujarat’s Urvil Patel hits fastest century by an Indian

Exactly one year after achieving the second-fastest 50-over century by an Indian, Urvil Patel made headlines again by scoring the second-fastest T20 century during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024.

Playing at the Emerald High School Ground in Indore, Gujarat’s Urvil Patel delivered an explosive performance against Tripura, scoring an unbeaten 113 off just 35 balls. This remarkable inning propelled his team to an easy eight-wicket victory while chasing a target of 156, finishing the match with 58 balls to spare.

Currently, the record for the fastest T20 century is held by Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who reached the milestone in 27 balls against Cyprus in June. Urvil’s century, the fastest by an Indian in T20s, surpasses Rishabh Pant’s previous record of 32 balls, set in January 2018 against Himachal Pradesh in the same tournament.

Urvil’s breathtaking knock included seven boundaries and 12 sixes, with four of those maximums off the bowling of the opposition captain Mandeep Singh, who recently moved from Punjab. His aggressive batting saw six of his sixes flying over the covers and down the ground in the “V.”

Recently, Urvil also entered the record books in the 50-over format. He scored a rapid 41-ball century in the Vijay Hazare Trophy on November 23, the day after being released by the Gujarat Titans.

Although initially bought for INR 20 lakh in the 2023 season, Urvil did not play for the Titans and remained uncapped. Despite his record-breaking performances, his name did not come up for auction at the recent IPL mega auction in Jeddah.