‘Like Sachin at 14’: Shashi Tharoor backs teen prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi for India call-up

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has drawn a bold comparison between teenage cricket prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi and legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar, urging the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to fast-track the 14-year-old into the national team.

Reacting to Suryavanshi’s record-breaking performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Tharoor took to X to hail the youngster’s talent. “The last time a fourteen-year-old showed such prodigious cricketing talent, it was Sachin Tendulkar — and we all know what became of him. What are we waiting for? Vaibhav Suryavanshi for India!” he wrote, tagging Gautam Gambhir, the BCCI, Sachin Tendulkar and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.

The Bihar batter stunned the cricketing world during the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2025–26 Plate League match against Arunachal Pradesh on December 24. At just 14 years and 272 days, Suryavanshi became the youngest player to score a century in men’s List A cricket.

It was his maiden non-T20 hundred in senior cricket and came off just 36 balls, making it the fourth-fastest List A century by an Indian. Playing only his seventh List A match, Suryavanshi went far beyond the three-figure mark.

The teenager also broke former South African great AB de Villiers’ long-standing record for the fastest 150 in men’s List A cricket. He reached the milestone in 59 balls, bettering de Villiers’ 64-ball effort against West Indies in 2015.

Suryavanshi was eventually dismissed for a stunning 190 off 84 deliveries, smashing 16 fours and 15 sixes at a strike rate of 226.19.

Bihar piled up a staggering 574/6 — the highest total in List A history — with captain Sakibul Gani blasting an unbeaten 128 off 40 balls, while Ayush Loharuka added 116 off 56. Arunachal Pradesh were bowled out for 177, handing Bihar a massive 398-run victory.

Wednesday’s performance was not an isolated one for Suryavanshi. Earlier this month, he scored an unbeaten 108 off 61 balls for Bihar against Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy at Eden Gardens. That knock made him the youngest player to score a century in the tournament’s history, at 14 years and 250 days.

He has also impressed at youth level across formats. At the Under-19 Asia Cup in Dubai, Suryavanshi hammered 171 off 95 balls against the UAE, finishing just six runs short of Ambati Rayudu’s long-standing India youth one-day record of 177. In November, he scored a century against Australia Under-19 in a Youth Test match in Brisbane.

Last month in Doha, Suryavanshi struck a 42-ball 144 against the UAE at the Rising Stars Asia Cup. His century came off 32 balls, making it the joint-third fastest by an Indian in men’s T20s and joint-sixth fastest overall.

The year 2025 has marked a major breakthrough. After becoming the youngest player picked at an IPL auction at 13, he went on to score an IPL century for Rajasthan Royals — a 101 off 38 balls against Gujarat Titans. He played seven matches in IPL 2025, scoring 252 runs at a strike rate of 206.55.

Since the IPL, Suryavanshi has continued to score heavily on youth tours of England and Australia, amassing 355 runs in England alone at a strike rate of 174.01. In 15 youth ODIs, he averages 51.13, with two centuries and three half-centuries.