The wait is finally over for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The batting sensation from Bihar made his India debut in the second T20I against England, becoming the youngest player ever to represent the country in international cricket at the age of 15 years and 99 days. He also surpassed Sachin Tendulkar to become the youngest cricketer to debut for India.
Also read | Sooryavanshi’s debut delayed: Will he replace out-of-touch Samson?
However, Sooryavanshi’s much-anticipated debut ended in disappointment, but the 15-year-old showed enough flashes of his fearless strokeplay to underline why he is regarded as one of the country’s brightest young talents. Batting in the second T20I of the five-match series against England on Saturday, Sooryavanshi scored 14 off nine balls, including two sixes.
Long-awaited debut arrives
The teen sensation received his maiden India cap from Tilak Varma after an inspiring speech by Gautam Gambhir before being embraced by his teammates in a heartwarming moment.
Shreyas Iyer also praised the youngster, saying, “You’ve seen him over the last few months and the way he’s been batting. I feel he completely deserves to be in the squad. He’s someone who doesn’t take pressure at all and has an unflinching nature. He’s well aware of what lies ahead in the coming matches. The way he bats in the nets and takes on the bowlers shows the kind of player he is.”
Many had argued that the debut came three matches later than expected after the generational talent spent two T20Is against Ireland and the opening T20I against England in Durham on the sidelines.
However, on Saturday, July 4, as India faced England in Manchester, the Gautam Gambhir-led team management finally handed the swashbuckling opener his long-awaited opportunity at the international level.
Youngest India debutant ever
Vaibhav earned his promotion to the senior side after representing India A in the tri-series in June. During the final in Dambulla, he dismantled the Sri Lanka A bowling attack and rewrote the record books by smashing the fastest List A fifty, reaching the milestone in just 11 balls, before falling agonisingly short of the fastest-ever List A century. He was eventually dismissed for 94 off only 29 deliveries.
By then, it appeared the Indian selectors had seen enough and decided the teenager was ready for the biggest stage.
Also read | Why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will use separate changing room in England
At 15 years and 99 days, Sooryavanshi has entered Indian cricket’s record books as the youngest player ever to make an international debut for the country. The Bihar batter has surpassed Shafali Verma, who made her debut in 2019 at the age of 15 years and 239 days. In men’s cricket, he has also gone past Sachin Tendulkar, whose debut at 16 years and 205 days had remained India’s benchmark for teenage internationals for more than three decades.
India have occasionally fast-tracked teenage cricketers, but rarely at such a young age and almost never with this level of expectation. Vaibhav’s debut also places him ahead of several other teenage India internationals. Wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel debuted at 17 years and 152 days during India’s tour of England in 2002, while Harbhajan Singh first represented India at 17 years and 288 days.
More recent teenage debuts have come at significantly older ages. Yuvraj Singh made his ODI debut at 18 years and 124 days.
Comments are closed.