Captains Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in Duleep Trophy, nails the DRS call. His reaction is priceless

Days after showing he can contribute more than a partial left-arm spin, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi impressed in a short stint as East Zone’s stand-in captain in their Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone in Bengaluru on Sunday 30 August. 19. end of game day. And guess what? The teenager hung up his first ever rating as captain at this level.

In the 40th over, Sooryavanshi took a review after fast bowler Mukesh Kumar persuaded him to challenge the dismissed appeal. Sooryavanshi, who was fielded, was among those who were convinced that Aryan Juyal had bowled over the length of the delivery. When the on-field referee remained motionless, the teenager asked for a review and sent the decision up.

Much to the delight of the East Zone stand-in captain and Mukesh, the records showed a clear upset on the UltraEdge as the ball passed the bat, indicating that there was an edge. The on-field umpire was forced to overturn the decision, proving Sooryavanshi’s hunch right.

The 15-year-old was ecstatic and celebrated with his team-mates, clearly delighted that his first assessment was correct. He didn’t need much convincing, he read the play from the cordon. The on-air commentator also praised the youngster for staying on, saying he couldn’t hear anything on the stump mic. Wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra, who took the gloves in Kishan’s absence, was equally enthusiastic after playing his part in convincing Sooryavanshi to step up. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi celebrates a successful DRS call with bowler Mukesh Kumar (Courtesy: JIoHotstar Screengrab)

Central Zone slipped to 99 for 4 in the 40th over after the well-set Juyal fell four runs short of his half-century. Screengrab by JioHotstar

It was Sooryavanshi’s first taste of captaincy at this level. He was named East Zone vice-captain for the Duleep Trophy, the zone’s domestic red-ball tournament, and led for nearly 20 overs before Kishan returned to the field with taped fingers. However, Kishan did not continue his wicket-taking on his return.

Sooryavanshi will now look to make a bigger impact with the bat after a quiet outing in the quarter-finals against North East Zone. The Rajasthan Royals youngster managed just eight runs but impressed with his left arm spin and took two wickets. East Zone batted only once, posting 467 and beating North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs.

Before joining the East Zone team for the Duleep Trophy, Sooryavanshi had already made a statement with the bat in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, hitting two half-centuries. The 15-year-old has had a very controlled start to his international career after struggling to make an impact on his England debut, failing to score more than 20 runs in any of his three T20Is. But he responded in Zimbabwe, showing the temperament and batting skills that have made him one of the most talked about young talents in Indian cricket.

Sooryavanshi’s rise was remarkably rapid. After a record-breaking IPL 2026 campaign with Rajasthan Royalswhere he amassed 776 runs at 237.30 and won the Orange Cap and MVP awards, he carried that form into the India A tri-series in Sri Lanka. In the final against Sri Lanka A, he smashed 94 off just 29 balls, reaching his half-century in just 11 deliveries. The teenager has since added senior international cricket to his growing list of achievements, but his brief stint as East Zone captain suggests there may be another dimension to his wait for the game.

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Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

August 30, 2026 1:55 PM IST