NEW DELHI: At just 14 years of age, Vaibhav Suryavanshi already boasts a remarkable list of records thanks to his explosive batting, and history seems to follow him whenever he takes the field. Interestingly, his latest milestone did not come off his bat, yet he still found himself etching his name into the record books.
Suryavanshi added another landmark to his rapidly growing career on Saturday, achieving a rare feat away from the bat. The teenage prodigy led India Under-19 for the first time in the opening match of the three-match Youth ODI series against South Africa Under-19 at Willowmoore Park, Benoni.
At just 14 years and 282 days old, Suryavanshi became the youngest player ever to captain a team in Youth ODI history, setting a new benchmark in age-group international cricket. The match also marked his maiden captaincy assignment for an Indian national side at any level, underlining the faith reposed in him by the team management.
Suryavanshi was handed the leadership role after regular captain Ayush Mhatre and vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra were ruled out with injuries, paving the way for the teenager to take charge of the side.
Suryavanshi's appointment rewrote the record books in more ways than one. He not only became the youngest captain in the history of Youth ODIs but also the first cricketer ever to lead a national team in any Under-19 international format before the age of 16. The long-standing benchmark, set by Pakistan's Ahmed Shehzad in 2007 at 15 years and 141 days, was comprehensively surpassed.
What makes the feat even more extraordinary is that Suryavanshi now stands as the youngest captain across all Under-19 international formats, not just ODIs.
Only five players worldwide have captained their national sides in youth internationals before turning 16. While Pakistan's Saad Baig holds the youngest-captain records in Youth Tests and Youth T20Is, he was still older than Suryavanshi when he achieved those milestones, underscoring the uniqueness of the Indian teenager's achievement.
Before Suryavanshi's milestone, the record for the youngest Indian to captain the country in a Youth ODI belonged to Abhishek Sharma, who led India at the age of 16 years and 105 days during a series against South Africa in 2016.
