Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was just over two and a half years of age when Sachin Tendulkar hung up his boots in front of a loud and emotional Wankhede Stadium crowd. Basically, the new-age sensation of Rajasthan Royals was not even a week-old when Tendulkar fulfilled his lifelong dream of winning an ODI World Cup for Team India in 2011.
Now, even the ‘Little Master’ would be rooting for Sooryavanshi to break one of his most illustrious records of all-time. After all, the BCCI has made a remarkable decision to include the 15-year-old enigma in India’s T20I squad. Sooryavanshi, who had an extraordinary IPL 2026, has been fast-tracked to international cricket as he is selected for T20I tours to Ireland and England and also in for the Asian Games tournament, which is set to be played in Japan later this year.
Sooryavanshi set to rewrite India’s 94 years of history
Sooryavanshi’s selection in the Indian team isn’t any ordinary feat. The Indian management knows that he is just a 15-year-old lad but has stressed that they are taking meticulous care of the boy, who has left everyone awestruck. With India set to play as many as seven T20 internationals in the UK in a span of 15 days, Sooryavanshi is bound to play at least one game for the Men in Blue after his selection.
When he grabs that debut cap in the team huddle, Sooryavanshi will rewrite India’s cricketing history. He will become the youngest-ever debutant the country has ever seen.
India produces massive batting talent. The pipeline just continues to give but sometimes, it throws in some serious, serious talent. Basically, once-in-a-generation prodigies. Sachin Tendulkar was the last one, who made his international debut in 1989. Against the searing pace bowling unit of Pakistan, Tendulkar was peppered but never quit. He then went on to become the greatest batter to have ever played the game.
Now, it is time for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The 15-year-old has already achieved heights that many 30-year-olds have never managed to do. At 14 years and 23 days, he recorded one of the fastest IPL hundreds (in 35 balls), that too, against a bowling that featured Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Rashid Khan, and Prasidh Krishna. But he followed that with one of the most influential seasons any batter has ever had.
Youngest India debutants in history ft. Tendulkar
| Player | Age at India Debut |
|---|---|
| Sachin Tendulkar | 16 years, 205 days |
| Parthiv Patel | 17 years, 153 days |
| Maninder Singh | 17 years, 222 days |
| Harbhajan Singh | 17 years, 288 days |
| Laxmi Ratan Shukla | 17 years, 320 days |
Naturally, the Indian selectors have jumped the gun on him. They know Sooryavanshi’s an anomaly. They want to do something special with Sooryavanshi, who is bound to beat Tendulkar for the record. Even if he doesn’t don the Indian jersey in the UK tour, he’s selected for the Asian Games as well, where the matches might not be that hard.
Born on March 27, 2011, Sooryavanshi will beat Tendulkar’s youngest debutant record as long as he makes his India debut by October 18, 2027. So, that’s unquestionable.
Sooryavanshi more than ready for India debut
Arguably, Sooryavanshi dropped an all-time season. At just 15, Sooryavanshi completely shattered the ceiling of what we thought a teenager could do. After a season of many highs and only a few lows, he smashed an astonishing 776 runs at a mind-bending 237.30 strike rate to comfortably take home both the Orange Cap and the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award. Never in history had an Orange Cap winner had a strike rate close to Sooryavanshi’s.
Undoubtedly, the prodigal son had the best season any batter has ever had in an IPL season. He absolutely decimated bowling attacks by hitting 72 sixes across the season, earning himself the Super Striker car while still being too young to legally drive it on roads!
He made the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Kagiso Rabada and even Bhuvneshwar Kumar look like ordinary pacers. Not just this. For those unaware, Sooryavanshi has already hit centuries in Australia, England and South Africa. He has basically obliterated under-19 cricket despite being way younger than other individuals. He led India to their sixth title as a key opener and was named Player of the Tournament for smashing 439 runs at 62.71 and 169.50, including a 175 (80) in the final.
Pressure on Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma?
Below is what Sanjay Manjrekar had to say after India’s squad announcement and press conference. “A bit unfair. The last time India played a T20, it was winning the T20 World Cup. With what Sanju did and Abhishek did in that tournament, I don’t think India would do that (drop one of the openers). The World Cup was hot and cold for Abhishek. Sanju Samosn may not feel the pressure as much. But I think both openers will feel nervous with Vaibhav coming in.”
And Manjrekar has a valid point. With Sooryavanshi selected as a third opener, the pressure will always be on Abhishek and Samson. A run of bad games will not make the management think hard to replace either of them with Sooryavanshi. Because the 15-year-old lad is a readymade superstar. His ceiling is perhaps greater than any of them. Hence, Sooryavanshi’s presence is wonderful for Team India’s point of view, but it may put added pressure on Samson and Abhishek, who are currently the most trusted opening pair in T20Is for the three-time champs.
Cricket
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