Sooryavanshi takes charge as East Zone captain in Duleep semis after Kishan injury

ALSO READ | ‘He doesn’t know that I’m a wicket-taker’: Sooryavanshi reveals love for bowling

Winning the toss earlier in the day, East Zone skipper Kishan opted to bowl first. The team made early inroads with Tripura seamer Abhijit Sarkar dismissing opener Aman Mokhade (8) and Kunal Chandela (6), leaving the Rajat Patidar-led Central Zone two down at 36.

This is the first instance of Sooryavanshi taking over as captain of a senior men’s side. The 15-year-old is only featuring in his second Duleep Trophy match and 10th First-Class match since making a historic debut as one of the youngest players ever in the format during the Ranji Trophy in early 2024.

Debates had emerged over Sooryavanshi’s appointment as vice-captain of the squad earlier this month. However, East Zone selectors defended the decision, insisting that the call was made with the future in mind. “We are not thinking about the present alone,” Manish Vardhan, the Jharkhand selector on the East Zone selection committee, had told Cricinfo.

Sooryavanshi had a forgettable outing with the bat during East Zone’s first-round win over North East Zone. Batting first on his Duleep Trophy debut, the dashing left-hander was dismissed for 8. He would, however, chip in with the ball, picking up two wickets during an innings victory.

Overall in nine First-Class games, the southpaw has aggregated 215 runs at an average of 16.53 with a solitary half-century.