14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi becomes one of the youngest players to feature in Indian first-class cricket; makes debut during Ranji Trophy opener
Bihar's Vaibhav Suryavanshi created history by becoming one of the youngest players to feature in Indian first-class cricket after making his debut in the Ranji Trophy clash against Mumbai at the Moin-ul-Haq stadium in Patna on Friday.
Although there is a slight disparity regarding Suryavanshi's accurate age across platforms, he is still clearly one of the youngest players to feature in mainstream first-class cricket.
Suryavanshi is mentioned to be around 12 years old in online forums and platforms, but he stated in an interview that he will turn 14 years old in September 2023.
The youngster was part of the India U-19 B team recently, which participated in the quadrangular home series which also involved the youth sides of England and Bangladesh. He scored 177 runs in five matches, including a fifty while opening the innings in the seven-wicket defeat to the Bangladesh U-19 B team.
Suryavanshi also featured in the Vinoo Mankad Trophy 2023, scoring 393 runs in five matches and ending up as the eighth-highest run scorer. He had also scored 151 and 76 in the Bihar U19 side's Cooch Behar Trophy encounter against Jharkhand.
Suryavanshi began playing the sport at the age of six and joined a cricket academy at the age of seven, where he was trained by former Ranji cricketer Manish Ojha.
Vaibhav Suryavanshi makes his first-class debut at a younger age than Sachin Tendulkar
Suryavanshi will have to wait for his chance with the bat as Bihar captain Ashutosh Aman opted to bowl first after winning the toss.
However, he is off to a promising start in terms of his cricketing career. The state association handing him his first-class debut at such a young age is a huge testament to his ability and skill, and it also shows that they see a bright future in him.
In comparison, Sachin Tendulkar, who was revered as one of the most promising talents on the Mumbai circuit during his school days, made his first-class debut aged 15 years and 232 days.
Will Vaibhav Suryavanshi become a household name in the years to come? Let us know what you think.