EXCLUSIVE | ‘Bindaas khelne ka’: How Suryakumar Yadav’s pep talk helped Urvil Patel create history | Cricket News
NEW DELHI: November 27 holds immense significance for Gujarat’s young wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel. On this day in 2023, just a day after being released by the Gujarat Titans, Urvil smashed an unbeaten 41-ball 100 for Gujarat in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh in Chandigarh. That century became the second-fastest by an Indian batter in List A cricket.
Exactly a year later, Urvil achieved another remarkable feat, this time in the shortest format.
Urvil on Wednesday blasted a 28-ball century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy against Tripura in Indore. The whirlwind knock is now the second-fastest century in T20 cricket overall and the fastest by an Indian.
The 26-year-old’s extraordinary effort — 35-ball 113, featuring seven fours and 12 sixes — comes a couple of days after going unsold in the IPL 2025 auction.
Despite not being picked by any franchise, Urvil remains undeterred and is focused on his game.
“I did expect an IPL deal, to be very honest. But I am happy that I am playing, performing, and taking my game forward. I was watching the auction, but I simply got up and immediately shifted my focus towards my game after not being picked by any franchise. I am not disappointed. This is something not in my hands,” Urvil told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.
“I just went normally and tried to play my natural game. When I saw some loose deliveries coming, I started hammering them. I got pumped up when the ball was coming right onto the bat. I was enjoying it, and then I went into brutal mode,” added Urvil, who has represented Gujarat in six first-class and 14 List A matches.
The record for the fastest T20 century still belongs to Estonia’s Sahil Chauhan, who achieved it off 27 balls against Cyprus in June 2024.
Among Indians, Rishabh Pant held the previous record — a 32-ball century for Delhi against Himachal Pradesh during the 2018 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
Hailing from Kahipur village in Mehsana in Gujarat, Urvil was part of Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 season.
Bought for Rs 20 lakh, Urvil shared the dressing room with stalwarts like Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, David Miller, Kane Williamson and Matthew Wade. The experience at Titans helped him hone his power-hitting skills.
Urvil draws inspiration from Suryakumar Yadav and tries to emulate the Indian T20I captain’s dynamic approach in white-ball cricket.
“I met Surya bhai during the IPL. I went up to him and straight-up told him that I admire him. He was very happy. He put his hand around my shoulder and said, ‘Chal, baat karte hain.’ [Let’s go and talk]. He gave me a lot of batting tips. He said, ‘Bindaas khelne ka. Ball ko dekhna, but pehle bowler ko, uske action ko, uske hand aur finger movement ko. And be confident. Apne aap ko hamesha back karna’ [Play fearlessly. Focus on the ball, but first observe the bowler—watch their action, their hand, and finger movements. And be confident. Always back yourself],” Urvil shared, recalling his interaction with SKY.
“I always recall his words whenever I go to the middle. We both bat with the same approach, and it doesn’t matter who the bowler is,” Urvil said.
The Gujarat batter also credits Hardik for his guidance.
“I have learned from Hardik bhai as well. He is very cool and down-to-earth. You can approach him at any point in time and ask him anything. He is always there to help. I like his aggressive approach. I am still in touch with him,” Urvil concluded.
