Fifteen-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi delivered a sensational performance on Day Two of the Duleep Trophy semi-final between East Zone and Central Zone at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Demonstrating remarkable confidence, the young left-hander smashed an 82-ball 92 to help East Zone level Central Zone’s first-innings total of 266. Along the way, he became the youngest batter in Duleep Trophy history to score a half-century, breaking a 57-year-old record set by Laxman Singh in 1969.
Sooryavanshi made his aggressive intentions clear from the opening overs, attacking the Central Zone pacers with fearless strokeplay. Opening the innings alongside veteran Abhimanyu Easwaran—who made his first-class debut when Sooryavanshi was just two-and-a-half years old—the teenager played with the urgency of a limited-overs match. He launched continuous attacks against both pace and spin, charging the bowlers and clearing cow corner with authority.
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The highlight of his innings was a fierce assault on bowlers Yash Thakur and newly capped Test spinner Saransh Jain. Sooryavanshi targeted Jain without hesitation, dispatching him over mid-wicket and long-on while even executing a reverse hit for four. Despite giving one chance on 40—a top-edged skier dropped by Yash Rathod—the young opener made Central Zone pay dearly for the mistake.
Sooryavanshi reached his record-breaking half-century in just 42 balls, bringing up the milestone with a six. His overall effort contained seven fours and seven sixes, displaying an uncomplicated batting style powered by immense clarity of thought and exceptional bat speed. His whirlwind innings came to an end eight runs shy of his maiden first-class century when he holed out to deep mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey.
Though disappointed to miss out on three figures, Sooryavanshi’s dominant effort reshaped the match within 100 minutes. By the end of the second day’s play, East Zone had matched Central Zone’s initial target of 266 before their opponents reached 45 for 3 in their second innings, leaving the semi-final poised for a tense battle.
