Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks Sachin's 37-year-old Player of the Match record
Teenage opener becomes youngest Indian to win international Player of the Match
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could not make much of an impact during India's tour of England, but the teenage sensation responded in the best possible way in the T20I series win against Zimbabwe.
The 15 year old returned to his aggressive best in Harare, finishing as the standout performer of the three match series. He piled up 151 runs in three innings at an astonishing strike rate of 196.10, earning the Player of the Series award as India completed a clean sweep.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scripts history
The left handed opener capped off a memorable tour with a sparkling 81 off just 49 deliveries in the third T20I. His match winning knock helped India seal a 3-0 whitewash series victory and also earned him the first Player of the Match award of his international career.
It was not the first time Sooryavanshi had rewritten the record books during the series. Earlier, he had already broken one of Sachin Tendulkar's long standing records by becoming the youngest player in men's international cricket to score an international half century. A few days later, he added another feather to his cap.
At just 15 years and 121 days old, Sooryavanshi became the youngest Indian cricketer to win a Player of the Match award in international cricket, surpassing another 37 year old record held by Tendulkar.
Tendulkar had claimed his maiden Player of the Match award during the second Test against England at Old Trafford in 1990 when he was 17 years and 112 days old. A few months later, he picked up his first ODI Player of the Match award against Sri Lanka in Pune at the age of 17 years and 225 days.
Sooryavanshi's remarkable series also made him the youngest player in men's international cricket to win both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series awards. He ended the Zimbabwe series as its highest run scorer with 151 runs.
Reflecting on the milestone, the youngster said, "It felt very good. It is a dream come true for me. First man of the match and man of the series. The preparation here has been good."
For India, this was a much needed series win after recent major setbacks.
