NEW DELHI: November 27 is hugely significant for Gujarat's young wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel. On this day in 2023, just one day after its release by the Gujarat TitansUrvil hit an unbeaten 41-ball 100 for Gujarat in a Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Arunachal Pradesh in Chandigarh. This century became the second fastest by an Indian batsman in List A cricket.
Exactly a year later, Urvil achieved another remarkable feat, this time in the shortest format.
Urvil hit a 28-ball century in the on Wednesday 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 performance – 35-ball 113, including seven fours and 12 sixes – comes a few days after he went unsold for the season IPL 2025 Auction.
Despite not being picked by any franchise, Urvil remains undeterred and focused on his game.
“I expected one IPL Deal, to be completely honest. But I'm happy that I'm playing, performing and pushing my game forward. I watched the auction but just stood up and immediately focused on my game after not being picked by any franchise. I'm not disappointed. This is out of my hands,” Urvil said in an exclusive interview with TimesofIndia.com.
“I just acted normally and tried to play my natural game. When I saw some loose ball throws coming my way, I started hammering them. I was thrilled when the ball came straight onto the bat. I enjoyed 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 Estonian Sahil Chauhan, who scored 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 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018.
Hailing from Kahipur village in Mehsana in Gujarat, Urvil was part of the Gujarat Titans in the 2023 IPL season.
Urvil was bought for Rs 20 lakh and shared dressing room with the likes of Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, David Miller, Kane Williamson and Matthew Wade. The experience with the Titans helped him improve his hitting skills.
Urvil draws inspiration from Suryakumar Yadav and seeks to emulate the Indian T20I captain's dynamic approach to white-ball cricket.
“I met Surya Bhai during the IPL. I walked up to him and told him directly that I admired 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 and 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 remember his words when I go to the center. We both bat with the same approach and it doesn’t matter who the bowler is,” Urvil said.
The Gujarat batsman also thanks Hardik for his leadership.
“I also learned from Hardik Bhai. He is very cool and down to earth. You can approach him at any time and ask him anything. He is always there to help. I like his aggressive nature. That's me.” “I'm still in contact with him,” concluded Urvil.
