Overview
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reached a Duleep Trophy fifty at 15 years and 157 days, breaking a 57‑year record, and converted that form into a quick, aggressive 92 off 81 balls in the semi‑final.
- His innings included seven fours and seven sixes and a 42‑ball fifty that helped form a 161‑run opening stand with Abhimanyu Easwaran, lifting East Zone to 266 in the first innings.
- Sooryavanshi fell eight runs short of a maiden first‑class hundred when he was caught at deep mid‑wicket off Harsh Dubey and was seen slamming his bat in visible frustration after his dismissal.
- The teenager was named East Zone vice‑captain for development and stepped in as stand‑in captain after Ishan Kishan left with a wrist injury, a role selectors had framed as staged exposure to leadership.
- The performance sharpens the debate over his red‑ball pathway because Sooryavanshi is better known for white‑ball power, has limited first‑class experience (nine FC games, 215 runs), and now faces choices about workload and long‑format readiness.