Vaibhav Suryavanshi honoured with Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar in Delhi

Fourteen-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi traded runs for recognition on Friday as he was conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, India’s highest civilian award for children, by Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

The ceremony, held in New Delhi, meant that Bihar’s teenage sensation was absent from his team’s Vijay Hazare Trophy fixture against Manipur — a notable omission given the wave of attention generated by his historic performance earlier in the week. Yet the reason was unequivocal: a once-in-a-lifetime national honour.

India’s highest civilian award for children

Vaibhav Suryavanshi was among 20 young achievers honoured this year, with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar recognising exceptional accomplishments across sport, bravery, innovation, science, social service and culture for children aged between five and 18.

Addressing the awardees, President Murmu underlined the wider significance of their achievements.

“Your achievements inspire the entire country. Every child honoured today is equally important and valued," she said. “It is because of such gifted children that India continues to shine on the global stage."

She further noted that time constraints prevented individual citations for every recipient, while acknowledging the critical role played by parents and families in nurturing such talent.

A record-breaking knock that turned heads

Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s presence at Rashtrapati Bhavan followed one of the most extraordinary innings in Indian domestic cricket. Playing for Bihar against Arunachal Pradesh cricket team on December 24, he smashed 190 runs off 84 deliveries, peppering the boundary with 16 fours and 15 sixes at a strike rate of 226.19.

The innings made him the youngest cricketer in men’s List A history to score a century — at 14 years and 272 days — and the knock reached three figures in just 36 balls, the third-fastest List A hundred by an Indian.

In the process, Suryavanshi eclipsed AB de Villiers’ long-standing record for the fastest 150 in men’s List A cricket, reaching the milestone in 59 balls, surpassing de Villiers’ 64-ball effort against the West Indies in 2015.

Bihar rewrite the record books

Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s innings was part of an unprecedented batting onslaught. Led by captain Sakibul Jani (128 not out from 40 balls) and Ayush Loharuka (116 from 56 balls), Bihar piled up 574 for 6, the highest total ever recorded in List A cricket.

Arunachal Pradesh were later dismissed for 177 in 42.1 overs, handing Bihar a crushing 398-run victory, the most lopsided result of the tournament.

Shashi Tharoor's praise and lofty comparisons

Teenager Vaibhav Suryavanshi’s exploits have resonated beyond cricketing circles. Shashi Tharoor, a Congress MP, drew a direct parallel with Sachin Tendulkar, urging selectors to take note.

"The last time a fourteen-year-old showed such prodigious cricketing talent, it was Sachin Tendulkar - and we all know what became of him. What are waiting for? VaibhavSuryavanshi for India!"

Tharoor tagged Board of Control for Cricket in India, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar in the post, amplifying calls for accelerated progression.

What lies ahead

Vaibhav Suryavanshican you peg it around highest civilian award

is now unlikely to feature again in the Vijay Hazare Trophy this season. Instead, attention is expected to shift towards the international age-group stage, with the young batter tipped to join India’s Under-19 squad ahead of the Under-19 World Cup, scheduled to begin on January 15.

For a teenager already rewriting domestic records, Friday’s ceremony marked a different kind of milestone — one that places national recognition alongside cricketing promise, and underscores why Vaibhav Suryavanshi is increasingly viewed as one of Indian sport’s most compelling young prospects.