Vaibhav Suryavanshi made history on Saturday, January 3, by leading the Indian Under-19 cricket team in the first match of a three-game Youth ODI series against South Africa Under-19 at Willowmoore Park
in Benoni.
At just 14 years old, Suryavanshi became the youngest player to captain a side in a Youth ODI, marking an unprecedented achievement in youth international cricket. This was also his first time captaining an Indian national team at any level.
Suryavanshi was appointed captain in the absence of regular skipper Ayush Mhatre and vice-captain Vihaan Malhotra, both of whom were sidelined due to injuries. Initially considered a temporary measure, this leadership change quickly turned historic. Mhatre and Malhotra are expected to return for the ICC Under-19 World Cup, commencing on January 15 in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
India U19 Vs South Africa U19 1st Youth ODI LIVE Score
By stepping out as captain in Benoni, Suryavanshi not only became the youngest player to lead a side in a Youth ODI but also the first cricketer in history to captain a national team in any Under-19 international format before turning 16. The previous record, held by Pakistan’s Ahmed Shehzad since 2007, stood at 15 years and 141 days.
Suryavanshi now joins an elite group of players who have been entrusted with leadership duties at a very young age, including Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Farhan Zakhil, Ambitious Muduma, and Saad Baig.
Even more remarkable is that Vaibhav is the youngest player to captain in any Under-19 international format, not just ODIs. Only five cricketers globally have led their national sides in youth internationals before the age of 16. Among them, Pakistan’s Saad Baig is the youngest captain in Youth Tests and Youth T20Is, although he was older than Suryavanshi when he achieved those records.
In Indian cricketing history, the previous youngest captain in a Youth ODI was Abhishek Sharma, who led the team at 16 years and 105 days against South Africa in 2016. Additionally, only Tanmay Srivastava, Aryan Jurel, and Parthiv Patel have captained India at the Under-19 level before turning 17.
History Of Making History!
Over the past two years, Suryavanshi has continuously shattered age-related records. He holds the record for the most sixes in Youth ODIs and is the youngest centurion in both Under-19 Test and ODI cricket. Beyond age-group cricket, he has already made waves in senior-level competitions, with notable performances for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, India A in the Rising Stars Asia Cup, and Bihar in domestic cricket across formats.
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