RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has added another record to his rapidly growing list of achievements, becoming the youngest batter in Duleep Trophy history to score a half-century. The 15-year-old achieved the feat during East Zone’s Duleep Trophy 2026 semi-final against Central Zone in Bengaluru, reaching his fifty in just 42 balls with a six. Sooryavanshi eventually finished with an impressive 92 off 81 balls, falling just eight runs short of a century. His knock included aggressive strokeplay and came at a crucial stage for East Zone. At 15 years and 175 days, Sooryavanshi surpassed a record that had stood for 57 years. The previous youngest batter to score a Duleep Trophy fifty was Laxman Singh, who was 16 years and 23 days old when he achieved the feat in 1969. He has now moved ahead of Laxman Singh and Piyush Chawla, who was 16 years and 307 days old when he scored a Duleep Trophy fifty in 2025. Youngest to hit Duleep Trophy fifty
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: 15 years 175 days
Laxman Singh (1969): 16 years 23 days
Piyush Chawla (2005): 16 years 307 days
Sooryavanshi’s batting milestone came after he had already found himself in an unusual leadership role earlier in the match. On Day 1, East Zone captain Ishan Kishan was forced off the field during the morning session after being struck on his right wrist. Sooryavanshi stepped in as stand-in captain for around an hour on either side of lunch before Kishan returned to take charge. During his brief spell as captain, Sooryavanshi also made an important intervention with the DRS. In the 40th over, Central Zone opener and wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal was on 46 when he poked at a delivery from Mukesh Kumar outside off. East Zone appealed for a caught-behind dismissal, but the on-field umpire turned it down. Sooryavanshi backed his judgement and opted for a review. UltraEdge showed a small spike as the ball passed the bat, confirming the edge and giving East Zone a crucial wicket. Central Zone bowled out for 266
Earlier, East Zone made an excellent start after Kishan won the toss and chose to field. Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar picked up three wickets apiece, while Mohammed Shami and off-spinner Md Kounain Quraishi claimed two each as Central Zone were bowled out for 266 in 80.1 overs. Rinku Singh top-scored with 60 off 88 balls, while Juyal contributed 46. Rinku also put together a 55-run sixth-wicket partnership with Harsh Dubey, who scored 27, after Central Zone slipped to 125/5. Quraishi broke that stand by trapping Dubey lbw in the 60th over, triggering another collapse. Saransh Jain made 13 and Aryan Pandey scored 22, while Yash Thakur provided late impetus with a quick 30 off 26 balls. Central Zone were eventually bowled out for 266, giving East Zone the platform to take control of the semi-final. For Sooryavanshi, the semi-final has already been a memorable one. On the opening day, he briefly took over as East Zone captain after Ishan Kishan left the field, and a day later he produced another record-breaking performance. Sooryavanshi brought up his half-century in just 42 balls before going on to score 92 off 81 deliveries. The only disappointment was that the teenage star could not complete another century, falling just eight runs short of three figures. 133646855
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