New Delhi: The wait is finally over. Teenage batting star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi created history on Saturday by becoming the youngest player to represent India.Tilak Verma handed the 15-year-old his first cap for India ahead of the second T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday. In the process, Sooryavanshi broke the long-standing record held by batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar, who made his Test debut for India against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days.
Rewards for a dream IPL season
Sooryavanshi earned a spot in the national team after his brilliant performance in IPL 2026. He became the highest run-scorer in IPL 2026 with 776 runs and a whopping strike rate of 230 runs. He also won the Most Valuable Player and Rookie Player awards.
The meteoric rise of Sooryavanshi
Born in 2011 in Tajpur in Samastipur district of Bihar, Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut in 2024 when he was just 12 years and 284 days old. Later that year, he was selected for the India Under-19 squad and caught the attention with a 58-ball hundred in the Junior Test match against Australia.A few months later, Rajasthan Royals signed him for Rs 110 crore at the IPL auction, making him the youngest player to be awarded an IPL contract in the history of the tournament at the age of 13.The 14-year-old and 23-day-old Sooryavanshi, who made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals against Lucknow Supergiants, announced his style by hitting Shardul Thakur for six on the first ball he faced.Just nine days later, he scored a 35-ball hundred against the Gujarat Titans, becoming the youngest centurion in IPL history. The knock was just five runs slower than Chris Gayle’s fastest IPL century.After scoring 252 runs in the maiden IPL season, Sooryavanshi has taken his game to another level in IPL 2026.He became the first player in the history of IPL to win the Orange Cap Award, Most Valuable Player Award and Emerging Player Award in the same season. He scored 776 runs in 16 games, including a record 72 sixes, breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a single IPL season while helping Rajasthan Royals into the playoffs.
India’s World Cup heroes ahead of debut
Even before the record-breaking IPL season, Sooryavanshi had already made a huge impact on the international stage.In February, he starred in India’s win over England in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup final. He smashed 175 off just 80 balls in the title match, helping India register a huge 100-run victory. He was named player of the series.After his IPL heroics, Sooryavanshi was selected in the India A team for the three-series series. He scored 211 runs in five games at an average of 42.20 and a strike rate of 200.95, including a staggering 94 runs off just 29 balls in the final, helping India clinch the title with a 66-run victory.
