Why 15-yo Sooryavanshi took charge as stand-in captain in Duleep semifinal

In a surprising turn of events, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi assumed the role of interim captain for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone on Sunday. The young cricketer, who typically serves as the team's vice-captain, took charge after Ishan Kishan, the regular skipper, had to leave the field due to a thumb injury while keeping wickets. Kumar Kushagra replaced Kishan behind the stumps, with Sooryavanshi temporarily stepping into the captaincy position.

Sooryavanshi's leadership experience has been a subject of discussion throughout East Zone's Duleep Trophy campaign. Despite scoring just eight runs in their quarter-final match against North East Zone, the youngster showcased his all-round abilities by taking two wickets with the ball. In a video posted by the BCCI Domestic, Sooryavanshi explained his perspective on bowling and the responsibility of leading the team.

He stated that batters enjoy bowling just as much as bowlers enjoy batting, and expressed his gratitude for being given the ball. Sooryavanshi described himself as a "wicket-taker," adding that Ishan Bhaiya (Kishan) believed he was taking a risk, but was unaware of his own talent for taking wickets.

In the match, East Zone opted to bowl first against Central Zone, with Saransh Jain returning to the lineup after his India debut in the Colombo Test. East's bowlers made an early impact, restricting Central to 81/3 after 32 overs. Abhijit K Sarkar claimed two wickets, while Mukesh Kumar also contributed with a wicket. Sarkar dismissed Aman Mokhade and Kunal Chandela before Mukesh removed Central captain Patidar.

Mohammed Shami continued to pressure Patidar during an intense contest as East Zone dominated the opening session.