Fifteen-year-old East Zone vice-captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has spoken days after the Duleep Trophy quarter-final about the moment captain Ishan Kishan handed him the ball against North East Zone.
In the latest video released by BCCI Domestic, the teenager reflected on his surprise left-arm spin spell at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. North East Zone were not losing wickets, so Kishan asked him to bowl two or three overs. He finished with 2 for 11 from three overs including two wickets in four balls. The left arm spinner dismissed Kishan Lyngdoh, who miscued an attempted big shot, and Imliwati Lemtur who edged a length ball to wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan. Thirteen of the 18 balls were dots and he conceded no extras.
‘If you ask any batter, he enjoys bowling. Or if you ask a bowler, he enjoys batting. The opponents weren’t losing wickets, so I was asked to bowl 2-3 overs. Ishan bhaiya thought that he was taking a risk in giving me the ball. But he didn’t know that I’m a wicket taker.’
He went on to say that he would only get a few overs to bowl and tried to keep it consistent. ‘I always knew that even if I take five wickets, I will only get three overs to bowl. So I tried to bowl as well as I could. I was just trying to repeatedly land the ball in one area. It’s a lot of fun. I didn’t do well with the bat in the last match. So it’s a lot of fun to contribute to the team’s bowling. And of course, if a batter takes a wicket, he never enjoys it more than that. So it’s a lot of fun,” the 15-year-old added.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had failed with the bat early in the match scoring only eight runs from six balls. His bowling contribution helped East Zone get a few crucial wickets and eventually seal a comprehensive win. The youngster will once again be in action for East Zone in the semi-final against Central Zone which will be played on 30 August.
East Zone Thrash North East Zone by an innings to reach Semi-Final of Duleep Trophy
East Zone beat North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru as the match finished inside three days. North East Zone won the toss and elected to bowl. East Zone were in early trouble at 25 for 2 and later 138 for 5 before Sudip Kumar Gharami scored 146 off 185 balls and Shahbaz Ahmed scored 167 off 244 balls to help them recover. Kumar Kushagra also managed 55 while Anukul Roy scored 37 as East Zone posted a massive total of 467 in 112.5 overs.
In reply North East Zone were bowled out for 111 in 42.5 overs. Medium-pacer Abhijit Sarkar finished with 5 for 20 while Shahbaz Ahmed picked up 3 for 20. The follow-on was enforced and North East Zone struggled again as they were bowled out for 146 in their second innings. Anukul Roy finished with 5 for 37. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi picked up 2 for 11 from three overs with the two wickets coming in the space of four balls and reducing the side from 75 for 5 to 79 for 7.
Pheiroijam Jotin was the top scorer with 39 and Akash Choudhary made 27 in a late 39-run ninth-wicket stand before Roy sealed the win shortly after lunch on the third day. Shahbaz Ahmed’s all-round performance won him player of the match award. East Zone will play the semi-final against defending champions Central Zone.