Vaibhav Suryavanshi etched his name in the record books on Saturday, January 3, after captaining the Indian U19 cricket team in the opening match of the three-match Youth ODI series against South Africa U19 at Willowmoore Park in Benoni. Although his first appearance as captain ended with a modest score of 11 off 12 balls, the match still marked a historic milestone in his young and fast-growing career.
At just 14, Suryavanshi became the youngest player in the world to captain a team in a youth ODI. He also created history by becoming the first cricketer to lead a team in an U19 international match in any format before the age of 16. In doing so, he surpassed Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad, who held the record for an impressive 19 years.
Suryavanshi was handed the captaincy for the three-match series in the absence of the regular captain Ayush Mhatre and vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra, both sidelined due to injuries. However, the duo is expected to return for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on January 15 and will be hosted by Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Suryavanshi had earlier grabbed the headlines for a sensational, record-breaking performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he smashed a breathtaking 36-ball century. He reached the three-figure mark in just 36 deliveries when he represented Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in Ranchi. His blistering knock of 190 off just 84 balls, which included 16 fours and 15 sixes, helped Bihar record a dominant 397-run victory over Arunachal Pradesh.
With this extraordinary innings, Vaibhav also broke AB de Villiers’ long-standing record for the fastest 150 in List A cricket, reaching the milestone 10 quicker. His 15 sixes in an innings is also the highest ever by an Indian batsman in the format.
On the back of his impressive performances in junior and domestic cricket, Suryavanshi was recently appointed as Bihar’s vice-captain for the first two rounds of the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy season. Recently he was too conferred with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar (PMRBP) by President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The PMRBP is India’s highest civilian award given to children between the ages of five and 18, recognizing exceptional achievements and excellence in various fields.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
January 3, 2026
