Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s captaincy acumen, spotted by the selectors, was on full display when the East Zone batter convinced his captain, Ishan Kishan, to take a successful review against South Zone on Day 3 of the Duleep Trophy final in Chennai on Tuesday. South Zone, who were facing the uphill task of responding to East Zone’s gargantuan first-innings total of 708, were off to a tough start when they lost opener Ricky Bhui, thanks to a genius call from Sooryavanshi.
In the sixth over of the innings, Mukesh Kumar had Bhui nick one behind to wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra. But while the umpire seemed disinterested, Kushagra and Sooryavanshi – positioned at slip – were convinced they had heard something. After persistent urging from Sooryavanshi, who could be heard saying, ‘Take it, take it’, Ishan went for the review. UltraEdge showed a spike as the ball kissed the inside edge, and the decision was overturned.
“A wonderful catch by Kumar Kushagra. But if you need to take the review, you’ll have to go to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Firstly, listen to what he has to say. Vaibhav could be heard telling Ishan Kishan on the stump mic ‘I’m telling you, take it. Take the review.’ Mukesh Kumar, say thank you to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. It’s because of him that they’ve taken the review,” the commentator said on air.
Not a second time lucky
Sooryavanshi and East Zone tried their luck a second time, only this time, they didn’t get their instincts right. Devdutt Padikkal was in the early phase of his innings when a ball from Md Kounain Quraishi rapped the left-hander on the pads. Once again, Sooryavanshi convinced Ishan to opt for the DRS, but with the ball completely missing the stumps, East Zone lost one review. Padikkal, meanwhile, grew in confidence and led South Zone’s recovery before Shikhar Mohan struck, dismissing N Jagadeesan for a quick 32 off 42 balls.
East Zone have, thus far, dominated the Duleep Trophy final. Their massive total of 708 was headlined by captain Kishan’s marathon 270, the second-highest individual score in a final in the tournament’s history, behind Raman Lamba’s 320. Sooryavanshi himself played his part, scoring a brisk 44 off 37 balls. There were contributions from top to bottom, with Abhimanyu Easwaran’s 72, Shikhar’s 85 and Kushagra’s 101 all playing a part in East Zone’s collossal advantage.
