Vaibhav Sooryavanshi makes India debut: The 15-year-old’s incredible journey from Samastipur, Bihar to the Indian team | Cricket News

New Delhi: “Chase your dreams and they will come true.”This quote from Sachin Tendulkar perfectly captures the moment when 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took over his India debut from Tilak Varma before the second T20I against England at Manchester’s Old Trafford with a smile on his face. For a boy from the small village of Tempur in Samastipur district of Bihar, it was the reward of years of sacrifice, hard work and outstanding performance.Sooryavanshi on Saturday became the youngest player to represent India, breaking the long-standing record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who made his international debut at the age of 16 years and 205 days.

Journey starts at 12 o’clock

Soriyavanshi’s rise has been nothing short of remarkable.He first came into limelight in January 2024 when he made his debut for Bihar at the age of just 12 years old. He became one of the youngest players ever to participate in the Ranji Trophy.Later that year, he represented India in the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup and scored 176 points in five games, averaging 44 points.His biggest breakthrough came soon after, when he scored a 58-ball hundred against Australia in a junior Test match in Chennai. That innings announced him as one of India’s brightest young talents.

Youngest IPL signing

These performances did not go unnoticed.At just 13 years old, Rajasthan Royals signed Sooryavanshi 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.When he finally made his debut in the IPL against Lucknow Supergiants at the age of 14 years and 23 days, he showed no sign of nerves. His first ball in the league was a six off Shardul Thakur.Nine days later, he rewrote the record books again, hitting a stunning 35-ball centurion against the Gujarat Titans, becoming the youngest centurion in the history of IPL. The knock was just five balls slower than Chris Gayle’s fastest IPL hundred.

IPL season changes everything

After scoring 252 runs in the inaugural IPL season in 2025, Sooryavanshi had an even stronger season in the 2026 IPL season as he scored 776 runs in 16 games with a strike rate of over 230. He also hit 72 sixes, breaking Chris Gayle’s record for most sixes in a single IPL season.His incredible season helped Rajasthan Royals reach the playoffs and earned him the three biggest individual accolades – Orange Cap, Most Valuable Player Award and Rookie Player Award. He became the first player in IPL history to win all three titles in the same season.

Success in India A and Under-19 cricket

The IPL heroics earned Sooryavanshi a place in the India A team for the tri-series.He scored 211 points in five games with an average of 42.20 and a shooting percentage of 200.95. In the final, he blasted 94 off just 29 balls to help India lift the trophy in a convincing 66-run victory.Even before the record-breaking IPL season, Sooryavanshi had already proven himself on the international stage.In February, he helped India win the ICC Under-19 World Cup final against England. He blasted 175 runs off just 80 balls to help India register a 100-run victory. He was also named Player of the Series.

A father’s dream

Behind every milestone in Sooryavanshi’s career was the unwavering support of his father, Sanjeev Sooryavanshi.Born on March 27, 2011, the same year India won the ODI World Cup under the leadership of MS Dhoni, Vaibhav showed his talent at a very young age.When he was four years old, Sanjeev noticed the force with which his son hit a plastic ball. After returning from working in the fields, he would spend hours underarm bowling to Vaibhav and help him practice.Soon, he built a small driving range behind his home so his son could train every day.Sanjeev recognized Vaibhav’s passion and took him to Samastipur to mentor Brajesh Jha. Later, father and son started traveling regularly to Patna, where coach Manish Ojha played a key role in shaping the youngster’s game.The 90-km journey from Samastipur to Patna was arduous, but Sanjeev never let that be an excuse. He bought a car and drove his son to the academy every other day so the training never stopped.Be it the Seaman Trophy, Vinu Mankad Trophy, Challenger Trophy, ACC U-19 Asia Cup, IPL or U-19 World Cup, Sooryavanshi keeps on clearing one obstacle after another.On Saturday in Manchester, he passed the biggest milestone of his career. The boy who once practiced in his backyard finally took to the field wearing an India jersey and turned his childhood dream into reality.