Hyderabad opener Aman Rao produced a career-defining performance on Tuesday, smashing an unbeaten 200 off 154 balls against Bengal at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot. The 21-year-old reached the milestone in style, launching the final ball of the innings for a six to anchor Hyderabad’s commanding total of 352 for 5.

Born in the United States and raised in Hyderabad, Rao was playing just his third List A match when he converted his maiden century into a memorable double hundred. His innings included 12 fours and 13 sixes, with a fearless assault on an experienced Bengal bowling attack featuring Indian internationals Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Akash Deep.

Rao’s knock is now the highest individual score by a Hyderabad batter in List A cricket and the ninth double century in Vijay Hazare Trophy history. He also became only the second player this season to cross the 200-run mark, underlining the significance of his achievement.

Known for his aggressive, high-tempo batting, Rao accelerated sharply after reaching his hundred—bringing up his second century in just 46 balls. A staggering 120 of his runs came off Bengal’s frontline pacers, including eight towering sixes, showcasing his confidence and power against top-level bowling.

Who Is Aman Rao?

Aman Rao is a right-handed opening batter developed through the Hyderabad cricket system. Despite being born in Wisconsin, USA, he represents Hyderabad cricket team and has built a reputation as a clean striker in white-ball formats. His T20 strike rate is above 160, and he impressed earlier this season in Under-23 cricket with 381 runs at an average of 63.50.

Rao had already caught attention during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, including a blistering over against Shardul Thakur, which helped him earn his maiden IPL contract with Rajasthan Royals for ₹30 lakh at the IPL 2026 auction.

With this landmark Vijay Hazare innings, Aman Rao has firmly placed himself among India’s most exciting young batting prospects, and his rapid rise is now one to watch closely in domestic and franchise cricket.