Sooryavanshi breaks Tendulkar's record to become India's youngest debutant

Vaibhav surpasses Sachin's record set back in 1989, when he made his international debut against Pakistan at the age of 16 years and 205 days

The moment many cricket fans have been waiting for for quite some time is finally here as India’s 15-year-old wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has been handed his India debut cap after being included in India’s playing XI for the second T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.

 

Vaibhav, at the age of 15 years and 99 days, is now officially the youngest player to make an international debut for India, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 37-year-old record of making his debut at 16 years and 205 days against Pakistan.

 

The southpaw was handed the debut cap by India’s T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma despite comments from bowling coach Morne Morkel on Friday in the pre-match press conference suggesting that it would be some time before he got his first chance.

 

 

Vaibhav will be replacing Sanju Samson, who has been struggling to score runs in the blue jersey since his heroics at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.  However, Vaibhav's maiden outing for India was cut short as he was stumped out by Jos Buttler off Will Jacks for 14 off just 10 deliveries. Despite the early dismissal, the left-hander showcased his fearless approach, smashing two sixes and adding 50 runs for the opening wicket with Abhishek Sharma before his departure.

Youngest players to make their debut for India:

Rank	Player	Age at Debut	Format	Opponent	Debut Date
1	Vaibhav Sooryavanshi	15 years 99 days	T20I	England	July 4, 2026
2	Sachin Tendulkar	16 years 205 days	Test	Pakistan	Nov 15, 1989
3	Piyush Chawla	17 years 75 days	Test	England	Mar 9, 2006
4	Laxman Sivaramakrishnan	17 years 118 days	Test	West Indies	Apr 28, 1983
5	Parthiv Patel	17 years 152 days	Test	England	Aug 8, 2002
6	Maninder Singh	17 years 193 days	Test	Pakistan	Dec 23, 1982
7	Harbhajan Singh	17 years 288 days	ODI	New Zealand	Apr 17, 1998
8	Laxmi Ratan Shukla	17 years 320 days	ODI	Sri Lanka	Mar 22, 1999
9	Chetan Sharma	17 years 338 days	ODI	West Indies	Dec 17, 1983
10	Washington Sundar	18 years 80 days	T20I	Sri Lanka	Dec 24, 2017

 

Vaibhav becomes second youngest overall

While Vaibhav’s debut against England in Manchester has put him at the top of the list of the youngest players to make an international debut for India, he is the second youngest to make his senior international debut overall, as Pakistan’s Hasan Raza, who made his debut against Zimbabwe at the age of 14 years and 237 days, still holds the top spot.

 

Raza’s record is unlikely to be broken anytime soon as the ICC introduced a new rule in 2020 stating that the minimum age requirement to make an international debut is 15 years. This means that unless the ICC changes the rule, Raza will forever remain the youngest player to make an international debut.

 

Youngest players to make international debut:

 

Rank	Player	Age at Debut	Format	Opponent	Debut Date
1	Vaibhav Sooryavanshi	15 years 99 days	T20I	England	July 4, 2026
2	Sachin Tendulkar	16 years 205 days	Test	Pakistan	Nov 15, 1989
3	Piyush Chawla	17 years 75 days	Test	England	Mar 9, 2006
4	Laxman Sivaramakrishnan	17 years 118 days	Test	West Indies	Apr 28, 1983
5	Parthiv Patel	17 years 152 days	Test	England	Aug 8, 2002
6	Maninder Singh	17 years 193 days	Test	Pakistan	Dec 23, 1982
7	Harbhajan Singh	17 years 288 days	ODI	New Zealand	Apr 17, 1998
8	Laxmi Ratan Shukla	17 years 320 days	ODI	Sri Lanka	Mar 22, 1999
9	Chetan Sharma	17 years 338 days	ODI	West Indies	Dec 17, 1983
10	Washington Sundar	18 years 80 days	T20I	Sri Lanka	Dec 24, 2017

 

Strong words from skipper Iyer

India captain Shreyas Iyer threw his weight behind 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of his T20I debut, insisting the teenager had earned his opportunity through consistent performances and possessed the temperament to thrive on the international stage.

 

"You've seen him over the last few months and the way he's been batting. 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's coming in these matches," Iyer said at the toss.

 

The skipper also praised Vaibhav's fearless approach in training, saying, "The way he bats in the nets and takes on the bowlers shows what kind of player he is."

 

Iyer added that the competition for places in the Indian team reflected the country's growing talent pool. "The amount of talent India produces is pleasing to the eye. It keeps us on our toes. Pressure is a privilege," he said.