Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old from Samastipur, Bihar, on Sunday was looking set for a big score, but his instincts got the better of him yet again as he gave away his wicket on 44 in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy final. The left-hander, who is the vice-captain of the East Zone, started his innings with a bang, hammering the South Zone bowlers all around the park at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
The highlight of his knock was how Sooryavanshi showed no respect to seasoned India pacer Mohammed Siraj, taking him to the cleaners in the initial stages of the match. The batter made full use of Tilak Varma's defensive captaincy and pierced gaps with precision. In one over of Siraj, Sooryavanshi slammed two boundaries and one six, resulting in the removal of the pacer from the attack.
The youngster who will soon be seen in action in the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, however, lost the plot when he was nearing his century, giving away his wicket to Chama V Milind. However, it was after the opening batters Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran put on 100 runs for the first wicket.
Also Read: EZ vs SZ LIVE Score, Duleep Trophy 2026 Final Day 1 Updates
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: EZ vs SZ LIVE Score, Duleep Trophy 2026 Final Day 1 Updates
{{/usCountry}}Tilak's tactics were hard to comprehend as he opened the field up as soon as the fixture started, and Sooryavanshi had no trouble in rotating the strike and going over the fielders' heads for boundaries. At one stage, Tilak decided to take matters into his own hands, and he was caught on the stump mic trying to get under the youngster's skin.
On the stump mic, Tilak was heard as saying, “Kya yaar ye vice-captain (What is this vice-captain)?” However, it was all in good spirits as the duo were seen laughing around and chatting with each other.
Easwaran outscores the youngster
The other East Zone batter, Abhimanyu Easwaran, matched Sooryavanshi shot for shot and outscored the youngster. The seasoned Bengal batter even beat the 15-year-old and got to his half-century first.
Speaking of Sooryavanshi, he had missed his century in the semi-final against the Central Zone as well, and was dismissed for 92 in the first innings. However, he did enough to ensure that the Ishan Kishan-led side progressed to the final.
Coming back to the final, East Zone captain Kishan won the toss and opted to bat first. The East Zone made one change to their playing XI while the South Zone made four changes as Devdutt Padikkal and Mohammed Siraj made their way into the lineup.