Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is the captain of the East zone, he provides the team edge with brilliant DRS calls

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could build quite a reputation as a DRS specialist. The 15-year-old has already made two successful calls in the Duleep Trophy final, the last one helping Mohammed Shami dismiss Smaran Ravichandran on Day 3 after earlier playing a key role in dismissing Ricky Bhui.

South Zone was already under pressure after East Zone posted a mammoth 708 in their first innings. When Mukesh Kumar found an advantage from Bhui in the sixth game, wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra and Sooryavanshi were convinced they heard something, despite the umpire not giving it. Sooryavanshi repeatedly urged Ishan Kishan to check, with the youngster’s stump mic picking up saying, “Take it, take it.”

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Kishan trusted his vice-captain and went up. UltraEdge showed a clear tip as the ball skimmed the bat to confirm the nick and send Bhui back. It was a sharp judgment call from Sooryavanshi, but his next DRS hit did not yield the same result. When Md Kounain Quraishi hit Devdutt Padikkal on the pads, the teenager again convinced Kishan to check, but ball tracking showed the delivery was missing the stumps. This was the only failed call involving Sooryavanshi in the final.

Later, with Ishan off the field, Sooryavanshi led the East Zone as Shami returned to the attack. Shami beat Ravichandran’s outside edge twice before Kushagra appealed after the next delivery was pushed away from the body. The keeper was certain there had been contact and Sooryavanshi agreed to check. UltraEdge came to his rescue again, showing a clear nick and confirming Ravichandran’s dismissal for 23. Sooryavanshi immediately celebrated with Shami after another successful save. Sooryavanshi was leading the East Zone when Smaran Ravichandran was dismissed. (ScreenGrab: JioHotstar)

SOORYAVSNHI: DRS SPECIALIST

The last two calls have contributed to something Sooryavanshi has already shown up in the semi-final against Central Zone. He took over as stand-in captain after Kishan left the field with a finger injury and successfully reviewed the decision involving Aryan Juyal.

That means the youngster has now been involved in three successful DRS challenges in the semi-final and final, with only one unsuccessful in the title race. More importantly, he showed the confidence to back up his judgment even though the original decision was against the East Zone.

Sooryavanshi’s contribution was not limited to his decision-making. He smashed a blistering 44 off 37 balls in East Zone’s mammoth first innings, having earlier smashed 92 in the semi-final. He has now scored 184 runs in four innings at an average of 46 in the tournament.

For a 15-year-old who entered the tournament as Ishan Kishan’s stand-in, Sooryavanshi has consistently shown that his influence can go far beyond his batting. His DRS record, in particular, becomes an interesting highlight of East Zone’s dominant run in the Duleep Trophy final.

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Issued by:

Debodinna Chakraborty

Published on:

08 Sep 2026 14:33 IST