NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has barely had time to soak up one milestone earlier than one other arrives.At 15, the teenage sensation has already performed on the largest home stage, damaged information within the IPL, made his worldwide debut, starred on the Below-19 World Cup and established himself throughout T20, Record A and first-class cricket. On Sunday, he’ll add one other landmark to a unprecedented early profession — taking part in his first five-day first-class match.Sooryavanshi will take the sphere for East Zone in opposition to South Zone within the Duleep Trophy ultimate on the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, with the 15-year-old named vice-captain below Ishan Kishan.It’s one other problem in a profession that has been outlined by {the teenager} repeatedly moving into unfamiliar territory and discovering a option to make an impression.For all his first-class expertise, Sooryavanshi has to this point performed solely four-day matches, whether or not for Bihar within the Ranji Trophy, India Below-19 or East Zone. The Duleep Trophy ultimate will due to this fact signify his first expertise of a five-day consultant first-class fixture.And East Zone will count on him to play a major function on the high of the order.
One other format, one other take a look at for Sooryavanshi
The teenager’s potential to adapt has already been examined repeatedly this yr.His first-class numbers stay modest in comparison with the astonishing figures he has produced in white-ball cricket — 347 runs from 10 matches, together with two half-centuries. However his Duleep Trophy semifinal efficiency in opposition to Central Zone provided an encouraging glimpse of what he can produce in an extended format.Sooryavanshi smashed 92 off 81 balls within the first innings earlier than contributing an important 40 within the chase as East Zone defeated Central Zone by 4 wickets to achieve their first Duleep Trophy ultimate since 2012-13.His 92 additionally made him the youngest participant to attain a half-century in Duleep Trophy historical past, at 15 years and 157 days, breaking a file that had stood for 57 years.Ishan Kishan, who will lead East Zone within the ultimate, believes {the teenager} is already mature sufficient to deal with the calls for of one other new problem.“I really feel Vaibhav may be very sensible for a 15-year-old boy. He is aware of what he’s doing, he has been on this state of affairs and I’ve heard him talking to different gamers as effectively. So, there isn’t any doubt if he has performed 4 day or 3 day cricket earlier and it is a 5-day sport, I feel you simply have to get runs out of him and that’s what he’s keen to do,” Kishan mentioned within the pre-match press briefing on Saturday.Kishan was additionally impressed by the teenager’s contribution within the semifinal.“I feel he’s doing an ideal job till now. He performed a really essential function within the earlier match the place the wicket was not that good however he performed these additional pictures which helped us get that opening partnership.”“It was essential whereas we have been chasing. So he’s doing all the things proper for now and if there’s something, I feel we’re there to at all times assist him,” he added.
From 14-year-old IPL centurion to India’s youngest worldwide
The dimensions of Sooryavanshi’s rise turns into clearer when his journey over the previous two seasons is taken into account.At 13, he turned the youngest participant to earn an IPL contract when Rajasthan Royals purchased him for Rs 1.1 crore forward of IPL 2025. A yr later, at 14, he turned the youngest centurion in males’s T20 cricket when he smashed 101 off 38 balls in opposition to Gujarat Titans. He completed that season with 252 runs from seven matches at a strike fee of 206.55.Then got here IPL 2026, when {the teenager} took his sport to a different stage.Sooryavanshi scored 776 runs in 16 matches at a staggering strike fee of 237.30, with a century and 5 fifties. His 72 sixes broke the file for many sixes in a single IPL season, whereas he collected the Orange Cap and MVP award.He subsequently turned India’s youngest males’s worldwide debutant and made a right away impression within the T20I sequence in opposition to Zimbabwe, scoring 151 runs in three matches and successful the Participant of the Sequence award. His six T20I appearances have already yielded 193 runs at a strike fee of 189.21.His Record A numbers are equally placing: 564 runs in 13 matches, together with a 190, at a mean of 43.38 and a strike fee of 176.80.On the Below-19 World Cup, in the meantime, he amassed 439 runs and was named Participant of the Event.
Now comes the five-day take a look at: Duleep Trophy ultimate
The numbers counsel there’s nonetheless loads for Sooryavanshi to be taught within the red-ball sport. However that’s exactly what makes Sunday’s milestone vital. At an age when most cricketers are nonetheless discovering their method by age-group cricket, he’s already being requested to resolve a brand new drawback.Sooryavanshi has to this point responded to virtually each problem with the identical fearless strategy that has made him one of the vital talked-about younger cricketers on the earth.The Duleep Trophy ultimate presents one other take a look at — not of what number of information he can break, however of how he can adapt when the sport calls for persistence, focus and a willingness to bat for 5 days.At 15, there isn’t any urgency for him to have all of the solutions.However one other query is about to be requested of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. And, judging by what he has performed to this point, one other problem is unlikely to intimidate him.
