At just 14 years old, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has taken Indian cricket by storm. From setting the IPL on fire to rewriting domestic records, he’s already doing things seasoned pros dream of. Yet, despite his unreal performances, he’s not eligible to don the India jersey—at least not yet.
Let’s rewind to where it all began.
Earlier this year, Vaibhav made history when he debuted in the IPL for Rajasthan Royals at just 14 years and 23 days. On debut, he smashed a six off his very first ball and went on to score a quickfire 34 off 20 balls. But the real headline came later—when he hammered a 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans. That innings made him the youngest centurion in IPL history and the second-fastest ever in the tournament’s record books. Over the course of the season, he racked up 252 runs in 7 innings at a strike rate of 206, hitting 24 sixes in the process.
Before his IPL exploits, he impressed in the U-19 Asia Cup, scoring 261 runs in 5 innings at a strike rate of 182 and an average of over 52. His standout performance was a blistering 171 against UAE.
In the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he continued to shine, scoring 197 runs from 6 innings for Bihar at a strike rate of 168. His century against Maharashtra made him the youngest player to score a hundred in the tournament’s history.
Then came the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he smashed 190 off just 84 balls against Arunachal Pradesh, including a 36-ball century and the fastest 150 in List A history. Across just 2 matches, he scored 221 runs at an average of over 110 and a strike rate of 235.
With numbers like these, comparisons with Sachin Tendulkar, who made his India debut at 16, are inevitable. But here’s the catch—Vaibhav is currently 14 years and 276 days old. According to ICC rules introduced in November 2020, a player must be at least 15 years old to play senior-level international cricket.
So no matter how many records he breaks or how many headlines he creates, Vaibhav will have to wait until March 27, 2026, when he turns 15, to officially become eligible for India.
Until then, the cricketing world can only watch in awe as this teen prodigy continues to defy logic—and gravity—with his bat.
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