Only 14! Vaibhav Suryavanshi meets PM Narendra Modi; pic goes viral

As the twelvemonth drew to a close, Indian cricket recovered itself sharing abstraction with an unfamiliar benignant of headline. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, inactive 3 months abbreviated of his 15th birthday, was named a recipient of the Prime Minister’s National Award for Children, the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar.

It is the country’s highest civilian honour for achievers betwixt the ages of 5 and 18. No cricketer had ever received it before. That unsocial acceptable him apart. The information that helium present sits alongside names similar chess stars R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali lone underlined however bonzer his emergence has been.

The grant felt similar a earthy decision to a twelvemonth successful which Sooryavanshi did acold much than pursuit records. He rewrote expectations of age, clip and readiness.

In 2025, nary Indian cricketer was searched much connected Google. Not Virat Kohli. Not Rohit Sharma. Instead, it was a schoolboy left-hander from Motihari, Bihar, whose sanction kept reappearing connected screens crossed the country. What began arsenic curiosity soon turned into understanding.

This was not sound built connected novelty. It was attraction driven by performance.

The defining infinitesimal arrived quietly, without tv cameras oregon primetime build-up.

In a Vijay Hazare Trophy lucifer against Arunachal Pradesh, Sooryavanshi produced an innings that seemed to beryllium to different era. He smashed 190 disconnected conscionable 84 balls, striking astatine 226.19, with 16 fours and 15 sixes. That sound made him the youngest subordinate successful the past of List A cricket to people a century, breaking a 39-year-old satellite grounds antecedently held by Pakistan’s Zahoor Elahi.

Yet this was nary abrupt eruption. Months earlier, connected April 28 successful Jaipur, Sooryavanshi had announced himself connected the IPL signifier with startling clarity.

At 14 years and 32 days, helium scored a breathtaking 101 disconnected 38 balls against Gujarat Titans. It was fearless, explosive and unapologetic. Seven fours, eleven sixes, and a tally of maximums that equalled Murali Vijay’s IPL record. At 14, helium besides became the youngest subordinate ever to people a T20 century. Even his last quality of the IPL play felt scripted. Against Chennai Super Kings, helium struck 57 disconnected 33 balls to seal a Rajasthan victory.

Broadcasters framed it arsenic “Gen Bold vs Gen Gold”. By then, the individuality of the poster lad was already clear. Records trailed him everywhere. He made his Ranji Trophy debut astatine 12 years and 284 days, becoming India’s youngest first-class cricketer. At conscionable 13, helium earned an IPL declaration worthy Rs 1.1 crore, the youngest subordinate ever to beryllium bought astatine an auction. His interaction stretched beyond home cricket. Against Australia Under-19, helium blasted 104 disconnected 58 balls, the fastest Under-19 period by an Indian and the second-fastest worldwide. Across consecutive Under-19 Asia Cups, helium remained cardinal to India’s batting narrative. In 2025, helium went adjacent further, hammering an audacious 144 disconnected 42 balls against UAE, an innings that included a 32-ball hundred. Indian cricket has known prodigies before. Very few, however, person shaped an full twelvemonth astir themselves earlier finishing school. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi did precisely that.