Bengaluru, Aug 31: Teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi continued to make his mark in Indian domestic cricket by becoming the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history.
The 15-year-old achieved the milestone during East Zone’s 2026 semi-final against Central Zone in Bengaluru. He reached his fifty in only 42 balls, sealing the landmark with a six, and went on to score a fluent 92 off 81 deliveries.
Sooryavanshi’s innings featured attacking strokeplay and came at a crucial point for East Zone. Although he fell eight runs short of a century, his knock provided his side with valuable momentum and further showcased his ability to perform on the domestic stage.
At 15 years and 175 days, Sooryavanshi broke a record that had remained in place for more than five decades. Laxman Singh had previously held the distinction after scoring a Duleep Trophy fifty at 16 years and 23 days in 1969. Piyush Chawla, who reached the milestone at 16 years and 307 days, was another player on the list.
The young batter also found himself taking on additional responsibility during the match. East Zone captain Ishan Kishan had to briefly leave the field after being struck on his right wrist. Sooryavanshi stepped in as stand-in captain for a short period before Kishan returned and resumed leadership duties.
His latest achievement adds to a growing list of milestones at an unusually young age. His performance in the Duleep Trophy highlights both his batting confidence and his ability to handle pressure against strong domestic opposition.
Sooryavanshi’s record-setting fifty and near-century have strengthened the growing interest around his development, while giving Indian domestic cricket another glimpse of a promising young batting talent.