Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gets into red-ball mode ahead of Duleep Trophy 2026

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is shifting his focus to the longer format ahead of the Duleep Trophy 2026. The 15-year-old posted a video on his official Instagram handle showing him batting against red balls, working through defensive shots and cover drives against the pacers and cuts and sweeps against spinners. The intensity was visible in his eyes throughout the session.

Sooryavanshi has been named in East Zone's squad for the tournament and will serve as vice-captain of the side. Ishan Kishan will captain the team. The Duleep Trophy 2026-27 season is scheduled to begin on August 23 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The vice-captaincy is Sooryavanshi's first leadership role in zonal red-ball cricket, coming ahead of more experienced names in the squad including Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar. Easwaran alone has 113 first-class appearances to his name and has captained Bengal and India A. East Zone selector Pravanjan Mullick explained the thinking, saying the role gives Sooryavanshi "an opportunity to understand leadership without putting the responsibility of captaining the side on him." Fellow selector Manish Vardhan added: "We are not thinking about the present alone."

Selectors back Sooryavanshi for leadership role

Bihar had previously handed Sooryavanshi the vice-captaincy for two Plate League Ranji Trophy matches in the 2025-26 season, so the responsibility is not entirely new to him at the domestic level.

Sooryavanshi's first-class record and international breakthrough

Sooryavanshi's first-class record across eight matches for Bihar reads 207 runs from 12 innings at an average of 17.25, with a highest score of 93. His most recent red-ball appearance before this tournament was a Plate League fixture against Meghalaya in 2025. The Duleep Trophy will be his most extended assignment in zonal red-ball cricket.

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His white-ball numbers at international level have drawn far wider attention. Sooryavanshi made his T20I debut against England, becoming the youngest Indian to play international cricket and surpassing Sachin Tendulkar's record in that regard. In his second T20I series, against Zimbabwe away, he finished as the top scorer overall as India swept the hosts 3-0, contributing two fifties across three matches. His 50 off 19 balls in the first match made him the youngest player to score a half-century in men's international cricket. He followed that with 81 off 49 balls in the final game at Harare and was named Player of the Series. The Duleep Trophy, beginning August 23 in Bengaluru, will now test how that form translates to the red-ball game at zonal level.