Vaibhav Sooryavanshi wrote his name in the history books after registering his maiden fifty against Zimbabwe in the 1st T20I in Harare. Young all-rounder Vaibhav Sooryavanshi faced the challenge of making his international debut in India’s T20I match against England in July 2026. The 15-year-old, who arrived with high expectations after his disappointing IPL season, managed 14, 13 and 15 in his first three T20Is. On his debut at Old Trafford, he scored 14 off 10 balls, including two sixes, before being stumped by Will Jacks. He followed up with a quick 13 from five balls at Trent Bridge in India to fall and hit a winning 15 from 10 balls at Bristol.Chasing a modest target of 126, Sooryavanshi produced a composed but brutal innings to register his international century. In doing so, he became the youngest player in history to score a fifty in T20Is, surpassing Gibraltar’s record of 16 years and 56 days.
Younger on maiden T20I fifty
15y 118d – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (IND) vs ZIM, Harare, 202616y 56d – Louis Bruce (Gibraltar) vs Malta, Albergaria, 202116y 76d – Kavin Chaddha (Indonesia) vs Sweden, Bali, 202616y 89d – Alusine Turay (Sierra Leone) vs Ghana, Benoni, 202316y 118d – Tenjin Rabgey (Bhutan) vs China, Kuala Lumpur, 2023Previous record of batting by an all-member team: 17y 296d – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (AFG) vs ZIM, Chattogram, 2019Also, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the youngest player to register 50-plus runs in Men’s international cricket. The only other person to do so before the age of 16 is Nepal’s Kushal Malla who scored a 15y 340d in an ODI against the USA at Kirtipur in 2020.
Youngest to score a maiden fifty in international cricket (FM teams)
15y 118d – Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (IND) vs ZIM, Harare, 2026 (T20I)16y 213d – Sachin Tendulkar (IND) vs PAK, Faisalabad, 1989 (Test)16y 214d – Shahid Afridi (PAK) vs SL, Nairobi, 1996 (ODI)17y 39d – Mushtaq Mohammad (PAK) vs IND, Kolkata, 1960 (Test)17y 63d – Mohammad Ashraful vs SL, Colombo (SSC), 2001 (Test)
Sooryavnshi leaves after 50
Richard Ngarava ended Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s knock, dismissing the 15-year-old for a blistering 50 off just 19 balls. Chasing a lot of ground outside off, Sooryavanshi tried to shoot it at cover but it just went over the top, Ben Curran completed a superb catch at third. The young man’s whirlwind innings included four fours and a six, which saw India dominate the chase for 126 before departing.
Playing XIs for India vs Zimbabwe 1st T20I:
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani(w), Ben Curran, Dion Myers, Sikandar Raza(c), Ryan Burl, Wessly Madhevere, Brad Evans, Newman Nyamhuri, Richard Ngarava, Blessing MuzarabaniIndia (Playing XI): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav