Vaibhav Sooryavanshi can surpass Sachin as youngest Indian debutant:Pakistan’s Hasan Raza youngest in ODIs Tests, but faced age fraud allegations

Fast-tracking of young prodigies into the national senior setup carries the promise of a bottomless potential that selectors see in an athlete. The latest example of this rare phenomenon that Indians are getting to witness for the first time after Sachin Tendulkar’s Test debut is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. If the 15-year-old takes the field against Ireland at Stormont today, he will make his international debut at the age of 15 years and 91 days for the Indian national senior cricket team. In the same format, he will surpass Washington Sundar, who marked his international debut at 18 years and 80 days, but overall, the 15-year-old-old will surpass legendary Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar to become the youngest Indian cricketer to make an international debut. But despite surpassing Sachin, do you know that Vaibhav is still not the youngest cricketer among full-member nations to make his debut in the senior setup? Interestingly, he is not! In this story, we will take a look at the youngest cricketers among the full-member nations in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. Moreover, we will identify the youngest debutants for India across all three formats and how Vaibhav can top these lists this year. Vaibhav can’t become youngest Test debutant among full-member nations Among the full-member nations, Hasan Raza of Pakistan is the youngest Test debutant in cricket history. He took the field against Zimbabwe in 1996 at the age of 14 years and 227 days. Although there are doubts over his age, it became a disputed issue due to doubts over his date of birth and the accuracy of the medical tests that he had undergone later under the Pakistan Cricket Board. Turns out he was allegedly 15 years old as per medical results, but on record he was ‘14 years and 227 days’ young when he turned out at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. Raza will, all other things being equal, remain the youngest male to play international cricket. In 2020, to safeguard the welfare and safety of minors, the International Cricket Council enacted a 15-year eligibility rule, which mandates that an individual must have celebrated their 15th birthday to be eligible for selection to their national side. There is an ‘exception’ clause to the rule, which can be invoked in extraordinary circumstances, though it is unlikely that member boards will fall back on that with any degree of regularity. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will, therefore, not become the youngest male to play international cricket, but if he earns his first senior cap during the 1st Test against New Zealand on 19 November, the new boy wonder will supplant the original BW, Tendulkar, as India’s youngest. Youngest ODI debutant among Test member nations, Sooryavanshi yet to attain dream Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has performed well in the ODI format games in the last year, whether it be the 2025 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup or the Under-19 Men’s World Cup 2026. He was named the Player of the Series in the WC, smashing a record-breaking 175 runs off just 80 balls in the final against England. But he was not selected for England ODIs, so Vaibhav cannot be among the top two youngest ODI debutants among full-member nations. Pakistan’s Hasan Raza is also the youngest to debut in the 50-over format at the age of 14 years and 233 days. Bangladesh’s Mohammad Sharif and Tendulkar are the other notable names from the Test-playing nations near the top of the list. Also considering India’s plans for the 2027 World Cup, he will most probably be included in the ODI setup after next year’s ODI WC. Sooryavanshi will become youngest cricketer to mark T20I international debut Despite the hurdles in the ODI and Test formats, Sooryavanshi can easily become the youngest debutant to mark his international debut in the T20I format. Currently, Ireland’s Joshua Little is the youngest T20I debutant from a full-member nation. He first appeared on the field on the international stage at the age of 16 years and 309 days in 2016. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir has held his country’s record (17y 55d) since 2009, the longest-standing among the Test nations. If Sooryavanshi debuts at 15 in any of these two games, he would become the youngest T20I debutant from any full-member nation, taking a record currently held by the same opposition he is set to face. Now let’s take a look at the youngest Indian debutants in each format… Youngest Indian debutants in each format (men’s) Sachin Tendulkar tops the India’s youngest-debutant record chart, holding the mark in both Tests and ODIs after his iconic debut in 1989. Meanwhile, Washington Sundar is the youngest in the T20I format, which Sooryavanshi is expected to surpass in the two-match series against Ireland. Notably, the 15-year-old already holds the distinction of being the youngest player in all T20 cricket, as he debuted for Bihar in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in 2024 at age 13 years and 241 days. As the nation buckles up for a historic moment in Indian sports, the cricket world looks up to the teenage sensation who has been predicted to be the future of Indian cricket.