Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Meets PM Narendra Modi After Receiving Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi might be 14, but he’s already going places. The teenage batting sensation had a breakthrough year that catapulted him into global recognition as he set new benchmarks in IPL and youth cricket. No wonder, for his surreal rise, the batting prodigy was conferred with the prestigious Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar by President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi. During the event in the national capital, Sooryavanshi also interacted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

This was just days after Sooryavanshi racked up 190 runs off 84 deliveries, studded with 16 fours and 15 sixes, for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh in a Vijay Hazare Trophy Plate group match in Ranchi.

With that effort, he became the youngest male cricketer to score

a century in List A cricket at just 14 years and 272 days. He reached the three-figure mark off just 36 balls.

Sooryavanshi’s unprecedented batting saw Bihar pile up 574 for 6, the highest total ever recorded in List A cricket.

Earlier in the year, Sooryavanshi became the youngest centurion in men’s T20 cricket when he smashed 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals against Gujarat Titans in an IPL game in Jaipur. His hundred, which came off 35 deliveries, was the second-fastest in IPL history.

The U-19 cricketer had slammed a century in a four-day game against Australia Under-19 this year, besides being a constant in various junior India squads.

Such has been his reputation that not only did Sooryavanshi play for India at the U19 Asia Cup, but also in the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025.

His recent record-breaking innings in Vijay Hazare Trophy though has left former India selector Devang Gandhi suggesting that the teenager shift his focus to red-ball cricket which will help him develop his game further.

“As selectors, you will never take these records into account. BCCI has to be proactive. It has to create a parallel system for talented players like Suryavanshi coming from these states,” Gandhi told The Times of India.

“For Suryavanshi’s growth, he needs to play tough First-Class cricket. At the moment, he is only playing white-ball cricket. BCCI will have to find a way where Suryavanshi has exposure to top-class red-ball cricket,” he added.

With PTI Inputs