Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi produced a record-breaking performance for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone, becoming the youngest player in the tournament's history to score a half-century.
Sooryavanshi continued to underline his immense potential with a brilliant 92-run knock in the Duleep Trophy semi-final between East Zone and Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru.
ALSO READ | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Handed East Zone Captaincy After Ishan Kishan's Injury
100-run stand 🙌
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 31, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran with a solid opening stand so far 🤝
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/kyExeix2VY pic.twitter.com/7eVSb3iuPU
Central Zone, who batted first after East Zone opted to field, were bowled out for 266 runs in 80.1 overs. In reply, East Zone made an aggressive start, with Sooryavanshi taking the attack to the Central Zone bowlers alongside experienced opener Abhimanyu Easwaran.
The 15-year-old smashed 92 runs off just 81 deliveries before being dismissed, falling eight runs short of what would have been his maiden century in the Duleep Trophy. His innings included seven fours and seven sixes.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 🆚 Yash Thakur
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 31, 2026
A fascinating battle ball-by-ball💥🔥#DuleepTrophy | #CZvEZ pic.twitter.com/MiEG8YtGCY
Sooryavanshi was caught at midwicket while attempting to slog a delivery from left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey. Dubey then picked up another wicket off the very next ball, with Kumar Kushagra edging the delivery into the hands of the first-slip fielder.
2⃣ in 2⃣
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 31, 2026
Harsh Dubey finally provides the breakthroughs Central Zone desperately needed ????#DuleepTrophy | #CZvEZ
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/kyExeix2VY pic.twitter.com/XnLgwPgsvD
Sooryavanshi Creates Duleep Trophy History
While Sooryavanshi missed out on a century, his knock set a record that had stood for 57 years.
At 15 years and 157 days, the teenager became the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history. He brought up his fifty in just 42 balls, reaching the landmark with a six off Saransh Jain.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 51 runs in 42 balls (5x4, 3x6) East Zone 100/0 #CZvEZ #DuleepTrophy #SF1 Scorecard:https://t.co/uXhmIQeXyC
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) August 31, 2026
Sooryavanshi broke the previous record held by Laxman Singh, who had scored a Duleep Trophy half-century in 1969 at the age of 16 years and 23 days.
Piyush Chawla later became the second-youngest player to reach the milestone, doing so at 16 years and 307 days in 2005.
The youngster's aggressive approach helped East Zone establish a strong platform in their first innings. Sooryavanshi and Easwaran put together a 162-run opening partnership before the former's dismissal.
East Zone were also bowled out for 266 in their first innings. Slow left-arm orthodox spinner Harsh Dubey took four wickets while opening seam bowlers Aryan Pandey and Yash Thakur took three wicjets each.
Sooryavanshi Bounces Back After Quiet Quarter-Final
Sooryavanshi's record-breaking knock came after a relatively disappointing outing in East Zone's previous game.
The youngster managed only eight runs in the quarter-final against North East Zone. However, he made a significant contribution with the ball, picking up two wickets for 11 runs in three overs as East Zone registered a dominant innings-and-210-run victory.
Against Central Zone, he showed greater composure while retaining his trademark aggressive strokeplay. He attacked the bowlers whenever opportunities presented themselves and continued to score quickly throughout his innings.
Sooryavanshi Misses Another Piece Of History
The 15-year-old had another major record within his grasp during his 92-run knock. Had Sooryavanshi reached three figures, he would have become the youngest batter to score a century in Duleep Trophy history, surpassing the legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar's record.
Tendulkar was 17 years and 262 days old when he scored a Duleep Trophy century during the 1990-91 season.
ALSO READ | Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Handed East Zone Captaincy After Ishan Kishan's Injury
Despite missing out on the century, his performance against Central Zone has added another significant chapter to his rapidly developing career.
With East Zone now in the semi-final and Sooryavanshi finding form at the right time, the teenager will be hoping to continue his impressive run and help his side book a place in the Duleep Trophy summit clash.
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