Source TOI
BENGALURU: Teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has etched his name in the history books, becoming the youngest player ever to score a half-century in the Duleep Trophy. The 15-year-old achieved this remarkable milestone during East Zone’s 2026 semi-final clash against Central Zone in Bengaluru.
Opening the innings, Sooryavanshi played a breathtakingly aggressive knock, bringing up his fifty in a mere 42 deliveries and sealing the landmark with a spectacular six. He ultimately went on to score a blistering 92 runs off just 81 balls—featuring 7 boundaries and 7 towering sixes—falling agonizingly short of what would have been a well-deserved century.
At exactly 15 years and 175 days old, Sooryavanshi has shattered a long-standing domestic record that remained untouched for 57 years. The previous record was held by the late Laxman Singh, who scored a Duleep Trophy half-century in 1969 at the age of 16 years and 23 days. Former India spinner Piyush Chawla now sits third on the list, having scored a fifty in the tournament at 16 years and 307 days old in 2005.
The young prodigy’s semi-final outing was memorable not just for his batting masterclass. On the very first day of the match, Sooryavanshi was unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role. When regular East Zone captain Ishan Kishan had to leave the field due to a right wrist injury, the 15-year-old stepped up as the stand-in captain for nearly an hour. Demonstrating maturity beyond his years, he even successfully reviewed a DRS call that led to the dismissal of Central Zone batter Aryan Juyal.
Sooryavanshi’s monumental knock comes at a crucial stage for East Zone and further cements his reputation as one of the most exciting young talents in Indian domestic cricket today.
