Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, 15, became the youngest Duleep Trophy half-centurion after scoring 92 off 81 balls for East Zone against Central Zone.
At 15, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is already running out of records to break.ย The teenage batter became the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history during East Zone’s semi-final against Central Zone in Bengaluru, breaking a record that had stood for 57 years. Sooryavanshi, aged 15 years and 175 days, reached his fifty in just 42 balls, hitting a six to bring up the landmark.
He did not stop there. Sooryavanshi went on to make 92 off 81 balls, falling just eight runs short of a century. His innings came at an important stage for East Zone and was built around aggressive strokeplay.
The previous youngest Duleep Trophy batter to score a fifty was Laxman Singh, who was 16 years and 23 days old when he achieved the feat in 1969. Sooryavanshi has now moved ahead of him as well as Piyush Chawla, who was 16 years and 307 days old when he scored a Duleep Trophy half-century in 2005.
Youngest to score a Duleep Trophy fifty
-Vaibhav Sooryavanshi – 15 years, 175 days
-Laxman Singh – 16 years, 23 days
-Piyush Chawla – 16 years, 307 days
More from FirstcricketThe innings capped an eventful couple of days for the youngster. On the opening day of the semi-final, East Zone captain Ishan Kishan was forced off the field after being struck on his right wrist. Sooryavanshi stepped in as stand-in captain for around an hour on either side of lunch before Kishan returned.
He also played a role in a key DRS decision. In the 40th over, Central Zone opener Aryan Juyal was on 46 when East Zone appealed unsuccessfully for a caught-behind dismissal off Mukesh Kumar. Sooryavanshi backed the review, and UltraEdge confirmed the edge.
Earlier, East Zone’s bowlers had restricted Central Zone to 266, with Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar taking three wickets each.
For Sooryavanshi, though, it was another reminder of just how quickly his career is moving. A teenager who has already made headlines in Indian cricket has now rewritten a Duleep Trophy record that survived for more than half a century.