Historically! Vaibhav Sooryavanshi makes India debut, breaks Sachin Tendulkar's 36-year-old record

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sachin Tendulkar (Image credit: Agencies) NEW DELHI: The wait is finally over. Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history on Saturday by becoming the youngest player ever to represent India.The 15-year-old received his first India cap from Tilak Verma ahead of the second T20I against England at the Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester on Saturday. In doing so, Sooryavanshi broke the long-standing record of batting great Sachin Tendulkar, who made his debut for India against Pakistan in 1989 at the age of 16 years and 205 days.

The reward for a dream IPL season

Sooryavanshi earned his place in the national team after a sensational IPL 2026 campaign. He finished IPL 2026 as the highest run scorer with 776 runs with a staggering 230. He also won the Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year awards.

Sooryavanshi’s rapid rise

Born in Tajpur in Bihar’s Samastipur district in 2011, Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut in 2024 at the age of just 12 years and 284 days. Later that year, he was selected for the Indian Under-19 squad and grabbed attention with a 58-ball century in the Youth Test against Australia.A few months later, Rajasthan Royals signed him for Rs 1.10 million in the IPL auction, making him the youngest player in the history of the tournament to get an IPL contract at just 13 years old.Sooryavanshi made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals at the age of 14 years and 23 days against Lucknow Super Giants and announced himself in style by hitting Shardul Thakur for a six on the very first ball he faced.Just nine days later, he became the youngest centurion in IPL history after smashing a 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans. The knock was only five deliveries slower than Chris Gayle’s record fastest IPL century.After scoring 252 runs in his debut IPL season, Sooryavanshi has taken his game to another level in IPL 2026.He became the first player in IPL history to win the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player and Emerging Player awards in the same season. He scored 776 runs in 16 matches, including a record 72 sixes, breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a single IPL season while helping Rajasthan Royals reach the playoffs.

World Cup hero ahead of India debut

Even before his record-breaking IPL season, Sooryavanshi had made a big impact on the international scene.In February, he played in India’s triumph over England in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup final. He smashed 175 off just 80 balls in the title race and helped India seal a massive 100 runs. He was named player of the series.After his IPL heroics, Sooryavanshi was selected in the India A team for the tri-series. In five matches, he scored 211 runs at an average of 42.20 and a stunning pace of 200.95, including a blistering 94 off just 29 balls in the final, helping India clinch the title with a 66-run victory.