Bengaluru: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had walked onto the field as East Zone’s vice-captain. A few hours later, the 15-year-old was leading the side.
The change came during East Zone’s Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone on Sunday after regular captain Ishan Kishan was forced off the field with a wrist injury. Sooryavanshi took over the captaincy during the 19th over of Central Zone’s first innings at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
It was the first time Sooryavanshi had captained a senior men’s side in first-class cricket.
Kishan was injured while keeping wicket after taking a blow to his right wrist. He received treatment from the team physios but could not continue behind the stumps. Kumar Kushagra took over the wicketkeeping duties, while Sooryavanshi stepped into the leadership role.
The situation was unusual enough on its own. What made it more striking was the age of the player suddenly given responsibility.
At 15, Sooryavanshi was leading a team that included experienced players such as Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Abhimanyu Easwaran.
He did not have much time to settle into the new role.
In the 40th over, Central Zone batter Aryan Juyal was beaten by a delivery from Mukesh Kumar and East Zone appealed for a catch behind the wicket. The on-field decision went against them.
Sooryavanshi decided to review it with only a few seconds remaining on the DRS timer.
The review showed a clear edge on UltraEdge, and the decision was overturned. Juyal, who had made 46, was dismissed.
It was a small moment in a long first-class match, but it showed the teenager was willing to make decisions rather than simply wear the captain’s badge.
Sooryavanshi had already been given a leadership role before the semi-final. East Zone’s selectors had named him vice-captain when the squad was announced for the tournament, with Ishan Kishan as captain.
The decision had attracted attention because of his age.
The teenager’s rise through Indian cricket has been unusually quick. He has already played in the IPL and made his international debut for India at 15. He was also part of India’s successful Under-19 campaign and has continued to attract attention for his batting.
But red-ball cricket has presented a different challenge.
The Duleep Trophy is one of India’s major domestic first-class competitions, and Sooryavanshi is still at an early stage of his red-ball career. Before this tournament, he had played only a limited number of first-class matches.
His role in the Duleep Trophy has therefore been watched not only for his runs but also for how he handles the longer format of the game.
He has shown another side of his game during the tournament as well.
In East Zone’s quarter-final against North East Zone, Sooryavanshi was given the ball and picked up two wickets. He later spoke about enjoying the opportunity to bowl, saying he considered himself a wicket-taker.
The captaincy came unexpectedly, but it also fits into the wider plan East Zone’s selectors had already indicated for him.
When Sooryavanshi was named vice-captain, the decision was described as part of his long-term development rather than simply an immediate leadership requirement.
Now he has received a much earlier test of that responsibility than anyone expected.
The East Zone side is facing defending champions Central Zone in the semi-final, with Rajat Patidar leading the Central Zone team. East Zone had reached the last four after a dominant quarter-final win over North East Zone, winning by an innings and 210 runs.
For Sooryavanshi, however, the result is only part of the story.
At an age when most cricketers are still making their way through junior competitions, he found himself making fielding decisions, managing bowlers and handling reviews in a senior domestic knockout match.
The circumstances were not planned. Kishan’s injury forced the change.
But once the responsibility arrived, Sooryavanshi had to deal with it.
And his first major decision as captain the successful DRS review that removed Juyal gave East Zone an early indication that the teenager was ready to take the responsibility seriously.
