Sooryavanshi claims two wickets with left-arm spin in Duleep quarter-final, teases captain Ishan Kishan

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old batting sensation, picked up two wickets with left-arm spin for East Zone in their Duleep Trophy quarter-final against North East Zone in Bengaluru on August 29, 2026, and cheekily suggested captain Ishan Kishan had underestimated his bowling. The wickets came during East Zone’s follow-on push and contributed to a comprehensive win.

Sooryavanshi, who made his Duleep Trophy debut as East Zone’s vice-captain, had an unsuccessful outing with the bat, scoring eight off six in the first innings. East Zone posted 467 in their first innings, then bowled North East Zone out for 111 to enforce the follow-on in Bengaluru. With the match situation demanding wickets, Sooryavanshi was handed the ball and delivered a short, effective spell.

He needed just four deliveries to make an impact, claiming two scalps in a three-over stint. Sooryavanshi dismissed Kishan Lyngdoh for 25 and removed Imliwati Lemtur three balls later, both victims of his left-arm spin. Denish Das took the catch for the first wicket and Kishan completed the second.

On enjoying the chance to bowl, Sooryavanshi said in a video shared by BCCI: "If you ask batters, they always enjoy bowling. A batter bowling or a bowler batting is enjoyable for the player. Wickets weren't falling for the opposing team. Thus, I was asked to bowl two or three overs. Ishan bhaiya felt like he was taking a risk by giving me the ball. But he doesn't know that I am a wicket-taker."

Explaining his approach to the brief spell, Sooryavanshi added: "In my mind, I only thought that even if I take five wickets, I am only getting three overs to bowl. I tried to bowl as best as I could, in one spot, and to finish my spell. It was a lot of fun because batting didn't go so well in the last match, so contributing to the team with the ball was fun. When a batter takes a wicket, there is no greater enjoyment than that," said Sooryavanshi.

East Zone secured an innings-and-210-run victory, with Sooryavanshi’s two wickets doubling his first-class wicket tally to four. While his batting remains his primary weapon, the 15-year-old’s enjoyment of bowling and ability with left-arm spin added another dimension to East Zone’s resources.

Sooryavanshi will next play for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone in Bengaluru, beginning on Sunday.