Bengaluru: Have you heard of a 15-year-old boy leading a first-class side comprising of cricketers many of whom are double his age?
Well, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi around, anything is possible.
The wonderkid from Bihar, who has already rewritten a plethora of age-related records in domestic and international cricket, on Sunday had the honour of captaining the East Zone side in their Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone at CoE 1 ground, Bengaluru.
There were many raised eyebrows when Sooryavanshi was named Ishan Kishan’s deputy a month ago. Especially as there were experienced players like Mohammad Shami (35), Mukesh Kumar (32) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (30) in the squad.
The East Zone selectors stood by their decision, saying that the move was meant to groom the teenager for long-term development rather than short-term leadership needs.
Gifted with abundant batting skills, Sooryavanshi got a chance to show off his leadership qualities when wicketkeeper Kishan went off the field after being hit on the hand.
He looked comfortable and confident as he effected bowling changes and field placements after discussing with seniors at times. It worked out well for East Zone as Central were dismissed for 266 on the opening day.
Sooryavanshi faced a tricky ‘test’ when the umpire turned down an appeal for caught behind off Mukesh Kumar in the 40th over.
Not sure initially whether to go for a review, Sooryavanshi ultimately sought DRS with just three seconds remaining.
It turned out to be the right decision as the batter Aryan Juyal was found to have got a slight nick as the ball lodged into stand-in wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra’s gloves.
Stand-in Captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi goes for the review with 3 seconds remaining…and gets it right 👏
DRS done right as the set Aryan Juyal (46) is dismissed ✅
The celebrations say it all 🙌#DuleepTrophy pic.twitter.com/IwBQbr8hJQ
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 30, 2026