15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks Sachin Tendulkar's record, sets world record with historic T20I fifty
15-year-old opener’s record breaking fifty powers India’s dominant win in Harare
As expected, India started their T20I series against Zimbabwe with a comfortable win, defeating the hosts by seven wickets with 40 balls to spare at the Harare Sports Club.
After restricting Zimbabwe to 125/7 in their 20 overs, India made the chase look very easy, reaching the target in just 13.2 overs.
But the biggest talking point of the match was the incredible knock from 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Yes, he is the star of the show.
The young Indian opener produced another special performance, smashing his half-century in just 18 balls before getting dismissed for a breathtaking 50 off 19 deliveries. With this knock, he became the youngest player to score a half-century in men's T20I cricket.
His explosive innings included four fours and four sixes, helping India finish the chase very comfortably.
At 15 years and 118 days, Vaibhav broke the previous record held by Gibraltar's Louis Bruce, who scored a T20I fifty at the age of 16 years and 56 days against Malta in 2021.
Youngest players to score 50+ runs in a T20I:
• 15y 118d – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (India) vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2026
• 16y 56d – Louis Bruce (Gibraltar) vs Malta, 2021
• 16y 76d – Kavin Chaddha (Indonesia) vs Sweden, 2026
Vaibhav also became the youngest player from a full-member nation to score a fifty in international cricket.
He also surpassed the record held by none other than Sachin Tendulkar, the Master Blaster and arguably the greatest batter the game has ever produced.
Sachin achieved the milestone at the age of 16 years and 213 days against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1989. Facing a deadly and legendary Pakistani bowling attack, Sachin showed incredible temperament and skill at such a young age, making his achievement even more special.
Youngest players to score 50+ runs in an international match (Full-member teams):
• 15y 118d – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (India) vs Zimbabwe, Harare, 2026 (T20I)
• 16y 213d – Sachin Tendulkar (India) vs Pakistan, Faisalabad, 1989 (Test)
• 16y 214d – Shahid Afridi (Pakistan) vs Sri Lanka, Nairobi, 1996 (ODI)
Ishan Kishan also played a useful knock, scoring 35 runs off 24 balls to support Vaibhav during the chase.
Earlier, Mayank Yadav was the star with the ball, picking up 2/18 in his four overs and winning the Player of the Match award. Prince Yadav also impressed with two important wickets.
The win was also a special moment for Shreyas Iyer as it marked his first victory as captain of the Indian team.
India got the result they wanted, but the night belonged to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who once again showed why he is regarded as one of the brightest young prospects in world cricket
