Why can’t Vaibhav Sooryavanshi play for senior Indian team? Revealed

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi recently played in ICC Under-19 World Cup 2026.

India’s young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has grabbed a lot of spotlight over the last one year. The left-handed batsman first made headlines by becoming the youngest batter to smack a century in Indian Premier League (IPL). He achieved the milestone by scoring a ton for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in IPL 2025.

After a successful stint in the tournament, he continued to impress in domestic cricket and the junior Indian team. Last month, he played a crucial role in propelling Bihar to the title in Vijay Hazare Plate 2025-26 tournament.

He also played for India U19 in the recently concluded Under-19 Cricket World Cup 2026. Batting as an opener, he hammered a match-winning half-century in the semi-final against Afghanistan, helping the team to chase down a mammoth 311-run target.

In the final against England, he rocked the field with his 175-run knock. His impeccable ton helped India to post a 400-plus total in the first innings and crush England by a huge margin of 100 runs. Vaibhav, who ended as the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament, was adjudged Player of the Match in the summit clash as well as Player of the Tournament.

Following his impeccable batting performances for India U19, many pundits have called for his debut in the Indian Cricket Team. Even his coach has reckoned that the Indian youngster is ready to play for the national team. However, Sooryavanshi cannot play for the senior Indian team at the moment, even if he gets the selectors’ nod.

Here’s why Vaibhav Sooryavanshi cannot play for the Indian Cricket Team

Notably, Sooryavanshi cannot play for the senior Indian team due to International Cricket Council’s (ICC) protocols. According to ICC’s minimum age policy rules, a player must be at least 15 years old to play international cricket. The rule was introduced in 2020 to protect the mental and physical well-being of young athletes.

Since Sooryavanshi is 14 years old, he is not eligible to play for the senior team. However, he will turn 15 years old next month on March 27.

Pakistan’s Hasan Raza, who played seven Tests and 16 ODIs between 1996 and 2005, holds the record for being the youngest player to play international cricket. He was 14 years and 227 days old when he made his international debut.

For India, former legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar is the youngest cricketer to play for the country. He made his test debut at the age of 16 years and 205 days.

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