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Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is mainly known for his fearless batting, but the young star showed against North East Zone that he can also contribute with the ball.

The 15-year-old picked up two wickets for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026 quarter-final and later had some fun while explaining how captain Ishan Kishan decided to give him the ball.

In a video shared by BCCI Domestic, Sooryavanshi jokingly suggested that Ishan was taking a risk by bringing him into the attack.

However, according to Vaibhav, his captain did not know one important thing — he is a “wicket-taker”.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Teases Ishan Kishan After Taking Two Wickets

North East Zone were struggling in their second innings after being asked to follow on, but East Zone needed another breakthrough when Ishan decided to try something different.

That was when he handed the ball to Sooryavanshi.

Speaking about the decision, Vaibhav said that wickets were not falling and he was therefore asked to bowl two or three overs.

“Ishan bhaiya felt like he was taking a risk by giving me the ball. But he doesn’t know that I am a wicket-taker,” Sooryavanshi said with a smile.

The way he delivered the line made it clear that the youngster was having some fun at his captain’s expense.

Sooryavanshi also spoke about something almost every cricketer can relate to.

According to him, batters enjoy getting an opportunity to bowl, just as bowlers enjoy getting a chance to show what they can do with the bat.

And when his opportunity arrived, Vaibhav made sure he used it.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Delivers 2/11 Against North East Zone

More importantly, Sooryavanshi backed up his words with his performance.

The slow left-arm orthodox bowler finished with excellent figures of 3-0-11-2 in North East Zone’s second innings.

His first wicket was Kishan Lyngdoh, who was batting on 25.

Three deliveries later, Sooryavanshi struck again, dismissing Imliwati Lemtur for four.

The two wickets came in the space of only four deliveries and reduced North East Zone from 75/5 to 79/7.

For a player selected primarily for his batting, it was an impressive little spell.

He did not need many overs.

He just needed an opportunity.

‘Even If I Take Five Wickets, I Will Only Get Three Overs’

Sooryavanshi was also quite clear about his mindset when Ishan handed him the ball.

He knew he was unlikely to get a long spell.

Whether he took wickets or not, he expected to bowl only around two or three overs.

That made his plan simple — make the most of whatever opportunity he received.

“I had only one thing in my mind: that even if I take five wickets, I am only going to get to bowl three overs. So the plan was to bowl as well as I could and target one spot,” Sooryavanshi explained.

It was a small contribution in terms of overs bowled, but exactly the kind of contribution East Zone needed at that stage.

The youngster also admitted that he enjoyed contributing with the ball after failing to make an impact with the bat.

East Zone Register Huge Win in Duleep Trophy Quarter-Final

East Zone completely dominated North East Zone in the quarter-final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Batting first, East Zone posted 467with Sudip Kumar Gharami scoring 146 and Shahbaz Ahmed producing a superb 167.

Sooryavanshi, however, had a short stay at the crease and was dismissed for eight runs from six balls.

North East Zone were then bowled out for only 111 in their first innings.

With a huge lead available, Ishan Kishan enforced the follow-on.

North East Zone could not offer much resistance in their second innings either and were dismissed for 146.

East Zone consequently won the match by an innings and 210 runs to book their place in the semi-final.

Shahbaz Ahmed was named Player of the Match, while Sooryavanshi’s two wickets provided another interesting talking point from East Zone’s dominant victory.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi's First-Class Bowling Record

The two wickets also improved Sooryavanshi’s First-Class bowling numbers considerably.

After the Duleep Trophy quarter-final, he has four wickets from nine First-Class matches.

He has bowled 102 deliveries and conceded 68 runs, giving him a First-Class bowling average of 17.00 and an economy rate of 4.00.

His bowling strike rate stands at 25.50.

The 2/11 against North East Zone is now his best First-Class bowling performance.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi First-Class Bowling Stats

Before this match, Sooryavanshi had taken two First-Class wickets from 84 deliveries, with previous best figures of 1/7.

The numbers are obviously from a very small sample size, but they show that Vaibhav can provide his captain with an occasional bowling option.

Bowling Remains a Secondary Skill for Vaibhav

Interestingly, Sooryavanshi’s record in T20 cricket tells a different story.

Despite playing 40 T20 matches, he has bowled only 17 deliveries, conceding 37 runs without taking a wicket.

He has also not bowled in his six T20 internationals so far.

That makes one thing very clear.

Bowling remains very much a secondary skill for the explosive opening batter.

Nobody is suddenly going to start calling Sooryavanshi a genuine all-rounder because of one three-over spell.

His batting remains his biggest strength and the main reason he is considered one of India’s most exciting young players.

Still, four First-Class wickets and career-best figures of 2/11 suggest that Ishan Kishan may now think twice before calling it a “risk” to throw the ball towards him.

When Is East Zone’s Duleep Trophy 2026 Semi-Final?

East Zone will now face Central Zone in the first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026.

The match is scheduled to begin on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 9:30 AM IST at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

Central Zone have players such as Rajat Patidar, Rinku Singh and Harsh Dubey in their squad, so East Zone will face a much tougher challenge for a place in the final.

The Duleep Trophy final is scheduled to be played from September 6 to 10 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

For Vaibhav, the focus will naturally remain on scoring runs at the top of the order.

But after what happened against North East Zone, Ishan now knows that he has another option available if East Zone need a surprise breakthrough.

And as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi himself reminded his captain with a smile — he is a wicket-taker.