With Sachin Tendulkar Example, Shashi Tharoor's Big Plea To BCCI Over Vaibhav Suryavanshi

India's Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history in the U19 World Cup 2026 final against England in Harare. The 14-year-old batting sensation once again produced a fiery show, hammering 175 runs off just 80 balls and playing a pivotal role in India's sixth U19 World Cup title win. During this knock, Suryavanshi broke several records, including registering the highest individual score by a batter in a U19 World Cup final. With so many centuries and records already to his name, fans are eager to see the Bihar-born cricketer in the senior men's team.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor also backed the idea of fast-tracking Suryavanshi into Team India, citing the example of the great Sachin Tendulkar.

"Vaibhav Sooryavanshi deserves to be fast-tracked into higher honours. The last time we had a 14-year-old genius at the crease, his name was Sachin Tendulkar. And we didn't keep him waiting long," Tharoor wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

For the unversed, Sachin made his Team India debut in 1989, when he was just 16 years old. Courtesy of his blistering records in school and domestic cricket, he was fast-tracked into the senior team and made his debut against Pakistan.

However, the 14-year-old Suryavanshi cannot make his debut for India until March 2026 due to an ICC rule.

The primary hurdle in Suryavanshi's pursuit of a senior India cap is the ICC Minimum Age Policy. Introduced in 2020 to safeguard the physical and mental well-being of young athletes, the rule states that a player must be at least 15 years old to play international cricket.
Vaibhav was born on 27 March 2011. As of his historic World Cup win in February 2026, he is still technically 14.

So, no matter how many 36-ball centuries the southpaw scores for Bihar or how many IPL bowlers he terrorises for the Rajasthan Royals, the senior national selectors' hands are tied until 27 March 2026.

Topics mentioned in this article

India U19 Vaibhav Suryavanshi Sachin Tendulkar Cricket