Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old sensation, who hails from Samastipur in Bihar, became the stand-in skipper for East Zone on Sunday in the Duleep Trophy semi-final against the Centre Zone at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. The left-handed opening batter entered the contest as the vice-captain, but an injury to regular skipper Ishan Kishan suddenly thrust a far greater responsibility on his shoulders. The teenager took charge during the 19th over of Central Zone’s innings after Kishan was forced off the field.
Kishan was hit on his right wrist while keeping wickets and immediately received treatment from the team physios. He subsequently left the field for further assessment, later returning with his hand strapped. Jharkhand teammate Kumar Kushagra took over the wicketkeeping duties. With Kishan unavailable, Sooryavanshi assumed leadership of the side, marking his first stint as captain of a senior men’s team.
The moment came barely a week after his appointment as East Zone’s vice-captain had sparked debate. The selectors had stood by their decision, stressing that the move was intended to contribute to his long-term development rather than simply address the team’s immediate needs.
“We are not thinking about the present alone,” Jharkhand selector Manish Vardhan, who is part of the East Zone selection committee, had told Cricinfo.
Sooryavanshi’s promotion also came remarkably early in his first-class career. The match against Centre Zone is Sooryavanshi’s second Duleep Trophy match. Earlier, he had featured in nine first-class games since making his Ranji Trophy debut in early 2024.
Sooryavanshi’s prior performance
His involvement in the semi-final followed a mixed first appearance in the tournament. During East Zone’s opening-round victory over North East Zone, Sooryavanshi managed only eight runs in his first Duleep Trophy innings.
The left-hander did, however, make an impact with the ball, claiming two wickets as East Zone completed an innings victory. His overall first-class batting numbers underline that he is still at the beginning of his development.
Sooryavanshi has scored 215 runs in nine matches at an average of 16.53, with one half-century to his name.
Earlier in the semi-final, Kishan had won the toss and elected to field. East Zone made a promising start with the ball, as Tripura seamer Abhijit Sarkar removed Aman Mokhade for 8 and Kunal Chandela for 6 to leave Central Zone, led by Rajat Patidar, struggling at 36 for two.
Sooryavanshi made his international debut earlier this year against England, on the back of a sensational IPL, in which he scored 776 runs for the Rajasthan Royals. He was then named Player of the Series after his haul of more than 200 runs in the three-match contest against Zimbabwe.
