Vaibhav Sooryavanshi may only be 15, but the teenage sensation showed remarkable composure and instinct when he took charge of East Zone during their Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone in Bengaluru on Sunday.
With East Zone chasing control over the opening day’s proceedings, Sooryavanshi made a crucial leadership call in the 40th over that immediately paid off. The youngster opted for a Decision Review System (DRS) review after an appeal for a caught behind was turned down by the on-field umpire — and the decision resulted in the wicket of Aryan Juyal.
The moment came when Juyal, batting on 46, pushed hard at a delivery from Mukesh Kumar outside the off stump. The East Zone players immediately went up in appeal, convinced that the batter had edged the ball behind. However, the umpire was unmoved. With some East Zone players appearing uncertain about whether to take the review, Sooryavanshi trusted his instinct and called for DRS at the last moment.
The review proved the youngster right, with UltraEdge detecting a small spike as the ball passed the bat. Juyal was given out, handing East Zone a crucial breakthrough and underlining Sooryavanshi's growing maturity in his first stint as captain in senior first-class cricket.
The captaincy opportunity came unexpectedly for the 15-year-old. Sooryavanshi is normally East Zone's vice-captain, but regular skipper Ishan Kishan was forced off the field after suffering a thumb injury while keeping wickets. Kumar Kushagra took over the wicketkeeping duties, while Sooryavanshi temporarily assumed leadership responsibilities. The teenager's ability to make an important decision under pressure added another layer to what has already been an eventful Duleep Trophy campaign for him.
Sooryavanshi had a modest outing with the bat in East Zone's quarter-final against North East Zone, scoring just eight runs. However, he made an impact with the ball, claiming two wickets. Speaking about his bowling experience and his expanding role in the team, Sooryavanshi said he enjoys the opportunity to contribute in different ways.
"If you ask any batter, they always enjoy bowling. A batter always enjoys bowling and a bowler always enjoys batting equally," Sooryavanshi said in a video posted by BCCI Domestic. The youngster also revealed that Kishan had taken a chance by handing him the ball and confidently described himself as a "wicket-taker".
"Opponent team's wickets weren't falling, so I was asked to bowl two or three overs. Ishan Bhaiya felt like he was taking a risk, but he didn't know that I am a wicket-taker," he added.
East Zone won the toss and opted to bowl first against Rajat Patidar's Central Zone. Their decision was rewarded almost immediately as their bowlers kept Central Zone under pressure throughout the opening session. Central were reduced to 81/3 after 32 overs, with Abhijit K Sarkar doing most of the early damage. Sarkar dismissed Aman Mokhade and Kunal Chandela before Mukesh Kumar accounted for Central captain Patidar. Mohammed Shami also kept Patidar under pressure during an intense battle.
Saransh Jain returned to Central Zone's playing XI after recently making his India debut in the Colombo Test against Sri Lanka. But the key moment of the afternoon belonged to Sooryavanshi. As East Zone players debated whether to review the umpire's decision against Juyal, the teenage stand-in captain acted decisively. His call came just in time — and the tiny UltraEdge spike vindicated his judgement.
