Vaibhav Suryavanshi conferred with Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

The 14-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who has taken the cricket world by storm with his audacious stroke-play, and seven-year-old chess prodigy Vaka Lakshmi Pragnika were among a host of children who were on Friday conferred with the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu.

Swimming sensation Dhinidhi Desinghu was also among the recipients of the award given for exceptional achievements in the field of sports, bravery, social service and environment.   Just a few days back, Suryavanshi slammed 190 runs off 84 deliveries, studded with 16 fours and 15 sixes, for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate group match in Ranchi. With that effort, he became the youngest male cricketer to score a century in List A cricket at just 14 years and 272 days. He reached the three-figure mark off just 36 balls.

Suryavanshi’s unprecedented batting saw Bihar pile up 574 for 6, the highest total ever recorded in List A cricket. Earlier in the year, Suryavanshi became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket when he smashed 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans an IPL game in Jaipur. His hundred, which came off 35 deliveries, was the second-fastest in IPL history. The India U-19 cricketer had slammed a century in a four-day game against Australia Under-19 this year.

Hailing from Surat in Gujarat, Pragnika won the Under-7 Girls title at the 2025 FIDE World Schools Chess Championship in Serbia, where she scored a perfect 9 out of 9 points. Karnataka swimmer Dhinidhi had qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in women’s 200m freestyle, becoming the country’s youngest athlete at the quadrennial showpiece. She has won seven gold medals at the National Games in Goa and also participated in the World Championships in Doha.