Vaibhav Sooryavanshi surprised everyone with his bowling in the opening game of the Duleep Trophy 2026. The 15-year-old batter turned into a useful bowler for East Zone and picked up two wickets in just three overs against North East Zone.
East Zone went on to win the match by an innings and 210 runs. After the game, Sooryavanshi spoke about his unexpected bowling role and how much he enjoyed making an impact with the ball.
Sooryavanshi was named vice-captain of the East Zone team, with Ishan Kishan leading the side. He revealed that Kishan decided to give him the ball when the opposition was not losing enough wickets.
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The young Bihar batter needed only three overs to make his presence felt. He picked up both of his wickets in the same over during North East Zone's second innings.
His first wicket came when Kishan Lyngdoh tried to play a ball in the air but was caught at deep cover. Three deliveries later, Sooryavanshi struck again, with Southpaw Imliwati Lemtur edging the ball behind. Ishan Kishan completed the catch.
Sooryavanshi explained that he knew he would have only a short spell, so his focus was on making every delivery count.
While his bowling was impressive, Sooryavanshi did not have his best outing with the bat. The Rajasthan Royals youngster was dismissed for eight runs in East Zone's only innings.
Still, he was happy that he could contribute in another way.
With those two wickets, Sooryavanshi now has four wickets in First-Class cricket. East Zone have also booked their place in the semifinals of the Duleep Trophy.
They will face South Zone in the second semifinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru. The match is scheduled to start at 9:30 AM on Sunday, while the final will begin on September 6.