Hitting Thakur for 24 was no flash in pan as Aman makes history with unbeaten 200

On December 12 last year, Aman Rao had struck India and Mumbai pacer Shardul Thakur for 24 runs in an over during their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match. On Tuesday, the youngster showed that it was no flash in the pan as he took on the likes of India pacers Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep on way to a double century.

In the process, the 21-year-old Aman created history at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. He became the first Hyderabad batter to score a double century in List A cricket. His unbeaten 200 is the highest individual score by a Hyderabad batter.

Born in the United States and raised in Hyderabad, Aman joined an elite gang of batters as his double century is the ninth in the history of Vijay Hazare Trophy and the second double century this season. Odisha opener Swastik Samal had made a double century earlier in the tournament. He had struck 212 against Saurashtra.

The 21-year-old brought up his double hundred with a six off the final ball of the innings, anchoring Hyderabad’s imposing total of 352 for 5 after being put into bat. Aman faced 154 deliveries, striking 12 fours and 13 sixes against a Bengal attack featuring Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep, along with Shahbaz Ahmed. This was Aman’s third outing in the tournament, but he owned the 21-yard strip only as a master does.

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The right-handed batter took on Bengal’s experienced pace trio without hesitation. He scored 120 of his runs off Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep, including eight sixes. He reached his maiden List A fifty in 65 balls, his first hundred in 108 deliveries, and then accelerated sharply, adding the second hundred in just 46 balls. Rao held his nerve on 194 and launched the last delivery over long-on to finish on exactly 200.

The innings marked Rao’s first hundred in senior cricket and came after modest scores of 39 and 13 in his previous two outings in the tournament.

Aman known for aggressive batting

Aman Rao is an aggressive batter known for his high strike rate and fearless approach.  Though he was born in Wisconsin, he developed his skills through the Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) league system. He had built a reputation as a clean hitter, particularly in white-ball cricket, where his T20 strike rate is above 160.

The 21-year-old Aman Rao came into the domestic season on the back of strong performances in age-group cricket. Photo: Jiohotstar screengrab

Aman was spotted when he was not even 10 years old. In fact, he was selected for the under-14 team when he was just a 10-year-old lad. He went on to play in the under-16 tournament and hit 240 against Kerala.

The 21-year-old Aman came into the domestic season on the back of strong performances in age-group cricket. In the Under-23 tournament, he scored 381 runs in six matches, including a hundred and three fifties, averaging 63.50 with a strike rate of 102.97.

He also drew attention during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy when he struck a rapid half-century against Mumbai, taking India all-rounder Shardul Thakur for 24 runs in the opening over of a chase.

Riding on his Mushtaq Ali Trophy performances, Aman bagged his first IPL contract as he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 30 lakh during the mini-IPL auction in December.

Batters with double hundred in Vijay Hazare

277: Narayan Jagadeesan (TN) vs Arunachal Pradesh (2022)

227*: Prithvi Shaw (Mumbai) vs Puducherry (2021)

220*: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Maharashtra) vs Uttar Pradesh (2022)

212*: Sanju Samson (Kerala) vs Goa (2019)

212: Swastik Samal (Odisha) vs Saurashtra (2025)

203: Yashasvi Jaiswal (Mumbai) vs Jharkhand (2019)

202: Karn Kaushal (Uttarakhand) vs Sikkim (2018)

200: Samarth Vyas (Saurashtra) vs Manipur (2022)

200*: Aman Rao (Hyderabad) vs Bengal (2026)