Those famous words of Sachin Tendulkar perfectly captured the moment when 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi stood with a smile on his face after receiving his India cap from Tilak Varma just ahead of the second T20I against England at the Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester. For a boy from the small village of Tajpur in Bihar’s Samastipur district, it was the reward for years of sacrifice, hard work and remarkable achievements.On Saturday, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player ever to represent India, breaking the long-standing record held by Sachin Tendulkar, who made his international debut at the age of 16 years and 205 days.

A journey that begins at 12

The youngest IPL signing

The performances did not go unnoticed.At just 13, Rajasthan Royals signed Sooryavanshi for Rs 1.10 crore at the IPL auction, making him the youngest player in the tournament’s history to earn an IPL contract.

The IPL season that changed everything

After scoring 252 runs in his first IPL season in 2025, Sooryavanshi came back even stronger in IPL 2026 where he scored 776 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of over 230.

Success in India A and Under-19 cricket

He was also adjudged the Player of the Series.

A father’s dream

Be it the Heman Trophy, the Vinoo Mankad Trophy, the Challengers Trophy, the ACC Under-19 Asia Cup, the IPL or the Under-19 World Cup, Sooryavanshi kept clearing one hurdle after another.