Aaron George built on Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s early blitz to stitch together a well-composed century off 91 balls in the third Youth ODI between India and South Africa in Benoni, on Wednesday. The 19-year-old opener took a single off Jason Rowles to reach his ton, punching him to long-off.
Celebrating his ton, George took off his helmet and acknowledged the applause from his teammates. It was the perfect knock for India U19, especially as it’s their second ton in the match. Earlier, skipper Suryavanshi hammered 127 off 74 balls, packed with nine fours and 10 sixes. On the other hand, George slammed 15 fours en route to his ton.
India began the three-match series with a 25-run victory, courtesy of the DLS method. Then they grabbed a series-clinching victory in the second fixture, winning by eight wickets, once again via the DLS method.
Who is Aaron George?
George is a right-handed top-order batter and has represented India U19 at the Asia Cup. He grew up in Hyderabad, progressing through age-group cricket, and also represented the state in domestic youth tournaments. He has featured in tournaments like the Vinoo Mankad Trophy. In the last two seasons of the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, he got 341 and 373 runs. He has been skippering teams since the 2022-23 Vijay Merchant Trophy, following his unbeaten 303 against Bihar.
In the opening match of the 2025 U19 Asia Cup, he got a half-century, and in the group stage fixture vs Pakistan, he smacked 85 runs.
George idolises South African legend AB de Villiers. Speaking to Sportstar, he said, “His range, ability to hit any ball anywhere, that is the ultimate skill. Having more than two responses for a particular ball is what takes you higher. I really like his composure on the field. He is not looking to fight and is a real gentleman when it comes to cricket.”
