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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took two wickets in the same over with his left-arm orthodox spin as East Zone beat North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final in Bengaluru. The 15-year-old, playing as vice-captain under Ishan Kishan, finished with 2 for 11 from three overs having been dismissed for 8 with the bat. East Zone meet defending champions Central Zone in the semi-final.
Bengaluru, India: He is known for what he does with a bat. On Tuesday, on his Duleep Trophy debut, he did it with the ball instead.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is 15 years old and already one of the youngest cricketers ever to appear in this tournament. He opened the batting for East Zone alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran and lasted six balls, hitting two boundaries before falling for 8. With North East Zone following on, he was given the ball — and produced the passage of play that will be replayed everywhere.
Two in Four Balls
Bowling to a set Kishan Lyngdoh, Sooryavanshi struck with the second delivery of his over, drawing a miscue that went to the cover region. Three balls later he found the outside edge of Imliwati Lemtur, and Kishan took the catch behind the stumps.
Lyngdoh had made 25. Lemtur went for 4. North East Zone were 79 for 7, and the BCCI’s own account described it as a double delight, noting the two excellent catches that accompanied the wickets.
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He finished with 2 for 11 from three overs. It is a small return in isolation. In context, it is not: before this match, Sooryavanshi had taken two wickets in eight first-class matches. He doubled his career tally in a single over.
The IPL Prodigy Learning a Second Trade
The numbers around Sooryavanshi have been extraordinary from the start. He became the youngest Indian debutant in history at 15 years and 96 days on the tour of England earlier this year. He was the youngest cricketer ever to win an IPL Orange Cap, doing it in the 2026 season at 15. Rajasthan Royals retained him for Rs 1.1 crore ahead of that campaign.
All of that was built on his batting. Tuesday added something else — a second skill in a career that has so far run on one, and, as one assessment of his performance put it, an added perk over his competitors for an opening slot in the Indian team.
One curiosity: he took the field in a taped jersey with only the number 3 visible, the number he wears for Rajasthan Royals. No explanation was offered, and it may simply have covered a misprint.
Shahbaz and Gharami Build the Platform
The match itself was over long before Sooryavanshi bowled.
East Zone were 25 for 2 and later 138 for 5 before Shahbaz Ahmed and Sudip Kumar Gharami took the game away. Shahbaz made a career-best 167 from 244 balls with 17 fours and four sixes; Gharami made 146 from 185 with 25 fours and a six. East Zone posted 467.
North East Zone were bowled out for 111 in reply, medium-pacer Abhijit Sarkar taking 5 for 20 and Shahbaz adding 3 for 20 to his century. Following on, they managed 146 in 50 overs.
Anukul Roy was the pick of the second-innings bowlers with 5 for 37 from 15 overs, attacking the stumps from around the wicket and mixing his arm ball with changes of pace. Akash Chaudhary and Pheiroijam Jotin added 39 for the ninth wicket before Roy ended it, Kishan completing a leg-side stumping shortly after lunch.
Mohammed Shami, East Zone’s most experienced quick, went wicketless in both innings. East Zone meet defending champions Central Zone in the semi-final on August 30.
Result: East Zone 467 (Shahbaz Ahmed 167, Sudip Kumar Gharami 146) beat North East Zone 111 (Abhijit Sarkar 5-20, Shahbaz Ahmed 3-20) and 146 (Anukul Roy 5-37, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 2-11) by an innings and 210 runs
Venue: BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2, Bengaluru
Next: East Zone v Central Zone, semi-final, August 30
