When a 14-Year-Old Draws a Tendulkar Parallel: Are We Witnessing Something Special in Vaibhav Sooryavanshi?

“The last time a fourteen-year-old showed such prodigious cricketing talent, it was Sachin Tendulkar — and we all know what became of him.”

With that single comparison, Shashi Tharoor placed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in a conversation Indian cricket rarely entertains so early. The remark was not wrapped in caution or qualifiers; instead, it carried a sense of urgency, as Tharoor went on to ask why India should wait any longer before looking at the teenager as a serious prospect.

The statement has resonated because it mirrors what Sooryavanshi’s bat has been producing on the field. At an age when most players are still finding their footing in age-group cricket, the left-hander has been rewriting records in senior domestic competitions, forcing attention far beyond Bihar’s scorecards.

His latest performance in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate league only sharpened that focus. Sooryavanshi tore into the Arunachal Pradesh bowling attack with a 36-ball century — the second-fastest by an Indian in List A cricket — before surging to 150 in 54 balls and eventually falling for a stunning 190 off 84 deliveries. Bihar’s towering total of 574 for 6 and the ensuing 397-run victory turned the match into a statement rather than just a result.

This surge is part of a growing body of work. Earlier in the month, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to score a century in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, remaining unbeaten on 108 at Eden Gardens. He also holds the record for the highest score by an Indian in Under-19 Asia Cup history and has already struck centuries against Australia U19 and for India A, including a breathtaking 144 off 42 balls in the Rising Stars Asia Cup.

Seen in that context, Tharoor’s comparison feels less like exaggeration and more like a reflection of scale. Invoking Tendulkar is not about predicting a career arc, but about recognising how rarely such dominance appears at 14. By publicly asking what India is waiting for, Tharoor has voiced a sentiment that is gaining ground — that Sooryavanshi’s performances are demanding attention now, not at some distant milestone.

Whether the future unfolds along historic lines remains unknown. What is clear, however, is that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has already crossed the threshold where age explains his brilliance. The comparison has been made, the challenge has been thrown, and Indian cricket is watching closely.

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