Vaibhav Sooryavanshi reveals how he became East Zone’s surprise wicket-taker in Duleep Trophy

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi impressed with the ball in his Duleep Trophy 2026 debut for East Zone, taking two wickets in three overs. The 15-year-old batter enjoyed his bowling stint and called himself a “wicket-taker” after the team’s emphatic win.

New Delhi: 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened up about his recent bowling burst in the opening match of the Duleep Trophy 2026 for East Zone after the tormenting batter switched to a bowling role with perfection, taking two wickets in a three-over spell against North East Zone.

The teenage sensation discussed his switch of hats during the match and shared how he felt when bowling and taking two wickets in the second innings of the game, which his team won by an innings and 210 runs on Tuesday.

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“If you ask any batter, they always enjoy bowling. A batter always enjoys bowling and a bowler always enjoys batting equally,” Sooryavanshi said in a video posted by BCCI Domestic.

Sooryavanshi, who was appointed vice-captain of the zonal side and deputy to Ishan Kishan, opened up about the skipper’s decision to bowl him and described himself as a “wicket-taker”.

“Opponent team’s wickets weren’t falling, so I was asked to bowl two or three overs. Ishan Bhaiya felt like he was taking a risk, but he didn’t knew that I am a wicket-taker,” he added.

In the second innings, the Bihar star bowled just three overs but made a significant impact by taking two wickets in a single over. The 15-year-old, who bowls occasional left-arm spin, got Kishan Lyngdoh caught in deep covers with a ball that tempted the batter to go aerial. Three balls later, he claimed another wicket when he nicked behind Southpaw Imliwati Lemtur, allowing Kishan to secure a sharp catch behind.

Sooryavanshi spoke on what he had in his mind while bowling the spell. “I had only one thing in my mind: that even if I take five wickets, I’m only going to get to bowl three overs only. So (the plan) was to bowl as well as I can and target one spot only and finish my spell well.”

The Rajasthan Royals batter, who now has four First Class wickets, did not set the stage alight with the bat in his usual style, as he was dismissed for just eight in the only innings his team batted. However, he enjoyed making an impact with the ball.

“It was a lot of fun because batting didn’t go so well in the match. So, contributing with the ball was great. And of course, when a batter takes a wicket, there’s no greater enjoyment than that, so it was a lot of fun!” he concluded.

Sooryavanshi’s side has reached the semifinals of the red-ball tournament and will face South Zone in the second semifinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru. The match will begin at 9:30 AM on Sunday. The final will begin on September 6.