“Last It Was Sachin”: Shashi Tharoor Criticizes BCCI for Not Picking 14-Year-Old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Team India

India’s cricketing spotlight is firmly on 14-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who has already showcased his talent from domestic to international-level cricket. Despite his phenomenal performances, fans and experts alike are asking when he will get a chance in Team India.

Shashi Tharoor Speaks Out
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, known for his cricketing knowledge, expressed his frustration on social media, drawing a historic comparison to Sachin Tendulkar. Tharoor tweeted:

“The last time a 14-year-old displayed such extraordinary talent in cricket, it was Sachin Tendulkar. We know what he went on to achieve. Whom are we waiting for? Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for India!”

In his post, Tharoor tagged BCCI Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar, Head Coach Gautam Gambhir, and even Sachin Tendulkar. For context, Tendulkar debuted for India at 16 years and 205 days but had scored his first century for Mumbai at just 14 years old, drawing the current comparisons with Vaibhav.

Record-Breaking Performance in Vijay Hazare Trophy
Vaibhav stunned the cricketing world on the first day of the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy with a blistering 190 off just 84 balls against Arunachal Pradesh for Bihar. He scored his first VHT century in just 36 balls, becoming the youngest List-A centurion in the world at the time. He reached 150 runs in 54 balls, surpassing AB de Villiers’ record for the fastest 150 in List-A cricket. Bihar posted 574/6, setting a new record for the highest List-A team total in India.

Other Milestones by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

• Scored a 35-ball century in IPL 2025, becoming the second-fastest Indian to achieve it.
• Hit 108 in 61 balls against Maharashtra in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, becoming the youngest centurion in the tournament.
• Scored a 32-ball century in the Rising Stars Asia Cup against UAE, ranking as the fourth-fastest Indian century in international-style T20.
• Made 171 off 95 balls against UAE in the U-19 Asia Cup, the highest score by any Indian in the tournament.
• Recorded explosive centuries against Australia U-19 and England U-19 as well.

With performances like these, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is widely regarded as India’s next cricketing sensation, prompting calls from cricket fans and experts alike for the BCCI to fast-track his entry into the national team.