Bengaluru: Teenaged batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Monday etched his name into the history books by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in the Duleep Trophy during East Zone’s ongoing semifinal clash against Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground in Bengaluru.
At 15 years and 175 days old, Sooryavanshi reached his milestone off just 42 deliveries. He eventually made 92 off 81 balls and broke a 57-year-old record previously held by Laxman Singh, who reached his maiden tournament fifty in 1969 at the age of 16 years and 23 days. Former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla sits third on the list, having scored a fifty in the Duleep Trophy at 16 years and 307 days.
The teenager’s whirlwind knock, which fell eight runs short of a debut century in the prestigious first-class cricket competition, dominated the headlines on a day when he showed maturity well beyond his years yet again.
During the course of his innings, Sooryavanshi shared a 161-run opening stand with Abhimanyu Easwaran, before being dismissed by India and Central Zone left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey. In his knock, Sooryavanshi slammed seven fours and as many sixes at a strike rate of 113.58.
On day one, Sooryavanshi was unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role when regular skipper Ishan Kishan suffered a hand injury during the morning session. The youngster stepped in as stand-in captain for roughly an hour on either side of the lunch break.
His brief stint in charge proved decisive when he successfully reviewed an on-field ‘not out’ decision in the 40th over bowled by pacer Mukesh Kumar. DRS technology confirmed an edge off Central Zone opener Aryan Juyal’s bat, thus securing a vital breakthrough for his side.
Earlier, Central Zone were bowled out for 266 in 80.1 overs after Kishan opted to field. Mukesh (3-56) and Abhijit Sarkar (3-38) were the standout bowlers for East Zone, while veteran pacer Mohammed Shami (2-42) and off-spinner Kounain Quraishi (2-49) were other wicket-takers. India batter Rinku Singh top-scored for Central Zone with an 88-ball 60, but East Zone remained firmly in command to win the semi-final.
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