At just 15, Bihar's Vaibhav Suryavanshi has broken a 36-year-old record held by Sachin Tendulkar to become India's youngest cricketer. His incredible run in the 2026 IPL, where he was the top scorer, earned him a spot in the national team.
Mumbai: A 15-year-old boy from Bihar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, has just rewritten a major chapter in Indian cricket history. On Saturday, when the squad for the Ireland and England tours, and the Asian Games was announced, the young left-handed batter's name was on the list. With this, Suryavanshi has shattered a 36-year-old record held by the Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, for being the youngest player ever selected for the Indian senior team. Sachin made his debut against Pakistan in 1989 when he was just 16. That record has remained untouched until now, and it's a boy from Bihar who has claimed it.
What got him this dream call-up? His absolutely phenomenal performance in the 2026 Indian Premier League season. He was in blistering form throughout, finishing as the tournament's top run-scorer with a massive 776 runs. The 15-year-old didn't just stop there; he bagged five major awards, including the Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player, and Super Striker. He even broke Chris Gayle's long-standing record for the most sixes in a single IPL season.
Suryavanshi has been a hot topic in cricket circles ever since he made his IPL debut for Rajasthan Royals last year. After a great first season, he continued to pile on the runs in youth cricket. His knock of 175 against England in the Under-19 World Cup final earlier this year was particularly brilliant. However, before the 2026 season kicked off, many cricket experts and fans had their doubts.
The common thinking was that after his explosive debut, other teams would figure him out and come prepared with specific plans. Many predicted he would struggle. But Suryavanshi turned all those calculations upside down. He fearlessly took on some of the world's best bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Kagiso Rabada. In the 19th edition of the IPL, he smashed a century against Sunrisers Hyderabad and also got out in the nineties three times, two of which were in crucial playoff games.
'Performance Impossible to Ignore': Ajit Agarkar
Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar admitted that Suryavanshi's performance was simply too good to ignore. 'He basically broke down the selection committee's door with his performance,' Agarkar said at a press conference after the T20 squad was announced. Before he joins the senior team for the Ireland T20 series, Suryavanshi will first play for the India A team against Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A.
