Berlin Wall to 4k cameras: World that changed between Sachin & Sooryavanshi

After much anticipation and a delay which felt longer than it was, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi finally made his India debut on Saturday, becoming the youngest player to represent the country in international cricket when he took the field in the second T20I against England at Old Trafford in Manchester.The 15-year-old from Bihar's Samastipur district broke a record that had belonged to Sachin Tendulkar for nearly 37 years. Tendulkar made his India debut at 16 years and 205 days. Sooryavanshi has done it at 15 years and 99 days.The similarities begin and end with their age.Between Tendulkar's debut in Karachi and Sooryavanshi's first appearance for India in Manchester lies the story of how Indian cricket — and the world around it — has changed.ALSO READ: Bethell breaks Indian hearts on Sooryavanshi's historic debut; England take 1-0 lead Tendulkar arrived with a game built on defence and timing, shaped by Mumbai's tradition of batting. Sooryavanshi has grown up in the T20 era, where attacking from the first ball is norm and expectation. The stage around them could not have been more different either.When Tendulkar made his debut against Pakistan in Karachi in November 1989, television viewers in India watched grainy pictures on Television. Sooryavanshi's every move has been tracked by high-definition cameras from the moment he landed in England.Tendulkar made his debut against an attack featuring Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Abdul Qadir.The world outside cricket was different too.The Berlin Wall was still standing. The Soviet Union still existed. Rajiv Gandhi was India's Prime Minister and would step down only after the Lok Sabha election a few weeks later. Economic liberalisation under Manmohan Singh was still more than a year away.Tendulkar belonged to the age of floppy disks. Sooryavanshi belongs to a generation growing up alongside Artificial Intelligence.Indian cricket has changed just as much.When Tendulkar debuted, India was still building its place in world cricket. Over the next three decades, the game became one of the country's biggest sporting industries, with Tendulkar at the centre of much of that rise. Sooryavanshi walks into an Indian team built in the years that followed.Not since Tendulkar has a teenage cricketer arrived with this level of attention. Since landing in England, Sooryavanshi has been surrounded by fans looking for selfies.The biggest difference, however, is how fame now works.During Tendulkar's debut, the internet was not part of everyday life in India. Today, almost everybody carries a smartphone. Every moment is photographed, recorded and shared instantly. The line between public figure and public property has become thinner.Sooryavanshi's India journey has only just begun, but the road he is walking is very different from the one Tendulkar first stepped onto in 1989.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.