Aman Rao Smashes Double Century in Vijay Hazare Trophy, Hits Six Off Final Ball to Reach 200

Rajkot: Hyderabad’s young opener Aman Rao produced a sensational innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025-26, scoring a double century against Bengal at the Niranjan Shah Stadium. The 21-year-old completed his 200 runs with a six off the final delivery of the innings, thrilling fans and teammates alike. Hyderabad, captained by Tilak Varma, posted 352/5 after batting first.

Double Century in Just Third List-A Match
Remarkably, this is only Rao’s third List-A match. He made his debut on December 31 against Baroda, scoring 39, followed by 13 in his second match. In his third appearance, he smashed 200 not out off 154 balls, including 12 fours and 13 sixes. Rao reached his century in just 108 deliveries and added the next 100 runs in 46 balls, showing incredible power and timing.

Dominating Against International-Standard Bowling
Bengal’s bowling attack featured four international cricketers, including Mohammed Shami, and fast bowlers Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, along with spinner Shahbaz Ahmed. Out of his 200 runs, Rao scored 120 against the pace attack of Shami, Deep, and Mukesh, underlining his skill against top-quality bowling.

Ninth Double Century in Vijay Hazare Trophy History
Born in Wisconsin, USA, Rao later moved to India and has quickly made his mark. His double century is the second of this Vijay Hazare season, following Swastik Samal’s 212 for Odisha against Saurashtra. Rao becomes the ninth batsman in tournament history to score a double century, joining the likes of Swastik Samal, Karanveer Kaushal, Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prithvi Shaw, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Samarth Vyas, and Narayan Jagadeesan.

Rao has so far played 11 T20 matches, scoring 301 runs at a strike rate of 163. His rising profile earned him a spot in the IPL 2026 auction, where Rajasthan Royals acquired him for ₹30 lakh.

Aman Rao’s explosive innings marks him as one of India’s most exciting young talents and a player to watch in domestic and IPL cricket this year.