Vaibhav Sooryavanshi breaks 57-year-old Duleep Trophy record with half-century

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (Pic: X)

At 15 years and 157 days old, teenage star Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history. Playing for East Zone in their semifinal clash against Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru, the youngster completed his fifty in 42 balls, launching off-spinner Saransh Jain for a six to break a 57-year-old record in East Zone's first innings.

The previous record belonged to Laxman Singh, who reached a Duleep Trophy half-century at 16 years and 23 days during the 1969 tournament, while leg-spinner Piyush Chawla recorded a half-century at 16 years and 307 days in 2005.

Sooryavanshi missed out on becoming the youngest Duleep Trophy centurion when he was dismissed for 92 off 81 deliveries. Reaching three figures would have surpassed Sachin Tendulkar's mark, set during the 1990/91 season at 17 years and 262 days. A century also would have placed him behind only Dhruv Pandove, who scored a Ranji Trophy hundred for Punjab against Jammu & Kashmir in 1988-89 at 14 years and 293 days, as the second-youngest Indian First-Class centurion.

Central Zone all out for 266 before East Zone's strong start

Earlier in the match, Central Zone were bowled out for 266 after Rinku Singh helped salvage their first innings. Having been sent in to bat by East Zone, Central Zone struggled against early seam movement, with opener Aryan Juyal scoring 46, captain Rajat Patidar making 12, and Yash Rathod adding 27.

Rinku Singh led the recovery with a vital 60 off 88 balls, combining with Harsh Dubey (27) to guide Central Zone to a competitive score. East Zone's bowling attack was led by Abhijit Sarkar (3 wickets), alongside Bengal pacers Mukesh Kumar (3 wickets) and Mohammed Shami (2 wickets)

In response, East Zone began their reply with opening batter Abhimanyu Easwaran and his teammates laying down a foundation for a strong finish, while 15-year-old Sooryavanshi stole the headlines by setting the new-age record for the tournament.

Earlier in the year, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi also became the youngest Indian international player ever when he made his debut against England in a T20 series.

(With inputs from ANI)