Vaibhav Sooryavanshi inspires East Zone to Duleep Trophy final after 13 years

Brief Scores: East Zone (266, 162 for 6) beat Central Zone (266, 158) by 4 wickets in Bengaluru on Day 3.

East Zone’s 13-year wait to reach the Duleep Trophy final ended on Tuesday in Bengaluru and the way they got there was telling. The pace was set by the teenager, a seasoned pressure-soaking player and two experienced fast bowlers who came through against Central Zone in the semi-final in Bengaluru.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, just 15, once again provided the spark. After his sensational 92 in the first innings, the left-hander made a blistering 40 in the chase for 159, giving the Eastern zone the momentum it needed before Central threatened to upset the finish. East eventually won by four wickets, reaching 162 for six to book their first finals appearance since 2012-13.

It wasn’t a straight chase. Sooryavanshi’s release, brilliant catch by central zone skipper Rajat Patidar running out of the mid-wicket area, Central caught a glimpse of an opening. Harsh Dubey then kept the pressure on with four wickets to reduce East to 124 for five.

But East had already done enough to ensure the teenager’s offensive intent would not go to waste.

Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran started a 61-run chase in the opening stand, with the teenager again showing that his game is not just about hitting the ball into the stands. After dealing with the threat of the new ball early on, he shifted into gear and hit two sixes and three fours before Patidar’s spectacular knock.

Easwaran’s role was equally important. The senior opener made 69 in the first innings and came back to give East the stability they needed in the chase. He soaked up the pressure alongside Sooryavanshi before falling to Dubey and the experience of playing around the attacking teenager proved crucial.

Ishan Kishan then took the responsibility to complete the work.

Kishan’s innings had already taken an unexpected turn after he injured himself while keeping on the opening day, forcing Sooryavanshi to take over the captaincy. But once back in the middle, Kishan played the role expected of a senior player, remaining unbeaten on 39 and leading East through the tense closing stages of the chase.

At the other end, Mohammed Shami provided the final touch as he remained unbeaten on eight as East crossed the line.

MUKESH AND SHAMI SEPTEMBER

However, the foundation of victory was laid with the ball.

Central, the defending champions, were bowled out for 158 in their second innings after being reduced to 45 for three overnight. Mukesh Kumar led the charge with four for 44 while Shami took three for 56. Mukesh finished with seven wickets in the match and was named man of the match.

A central collapse in the second innings meant that East were chasing just 159, but the significance of the target was never lost on the side bearing the brunt of the long wait.

The first innings ended at 266 apiece with little separating the teams. East appeared in control as Sooryavanshi and Easwaran put on 161 for the opening wicket, only to lose their last nine wickets for 105 runs. Central’s Rinku Singh had earlier made 60 to stay in the contest.

This time, East did not let the opportunity slip away.

The East Zone will play the winner of the second semi-final between the North and South Zones in Chennai next week in the final.

– The end

Issued by:

Akshay Ramesh

Published on:

01 Sep 2026 19:01 IST