Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old boy wonder from Bihar's Samastipur district, on Saturday became India's youngest debutant in international cricket surpassing the legendary Sachin Tendulkar who held the record for nearly 37 years. The 15-year-old received his maiden India cap ahead of the second T20I against England in Manchester, marking another milestone in his rapid rise through the ranks.
Born in Tajpur in Bihar's Samastipur district in 2011, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut in 2024 at the age of just 12 years and 284 days. Later that year, he was named in India's Under-19 squad and grabbed headlines with a blistering 58-ball century in a Youth Test against Australia.
His exploits earned him an IPL contract with the Rajasthan Royals, who signed him for Rs 1.10 crore, making him the youngest player in the tournament's history to secure an IPL deal at just 13 years of age.
Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut at 14 years and 23 days against the Lucknow Super Giants and announced his arrival in spectacular fashion by smashing Shardul Thakur for a six off the very first ball he faced.
Just nine days later, he etched his name into the record books by becoming the youngest centurion in IPL history, hammering a 35-ball century against the Gujarat Titans. The innings was only five deliveries slower than Chris Gayle's record for the fastest IPL hundred.
After scoring 252 runs in his debut IPL season, Sooryavanshi elevated his game to another level in IPL 2026.
The teenage opener enjoyed a record-breaking campaign, becoming the first player in IPL history to win the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player and Emerging Player awards in the same season. He amassed 776 runs in 16 matches, including a record 72 sixes, surpassing Chris Gayle's mark for the most sixes in a single IPL season and playing a key role in Rajasthan Royals' run to the playoffs.
His performances led to growing calls for a national team call-up, but the selectors opted against fast-tracking him. Instead, they waited until he turned 15 in March before including him in India's squads for the T20I series against Ireland and England.
Although Sooryavanshi was part of the squad for the Ireland series, he did not feature in either match as India suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat.
The teenager finally got his opportunity in the second T20I against England after the series opener at Old Trafford was washed out, leaving the five-match contest level at 0-0.
