Vaibhav Sooryavanshi registered another milestone in his meteoric rise as a promising Indian cricketer on Sunday when the 15-year-old donned the captaincy of East Zone for the Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone in Bengaluru on Sunday.

The teenager was named the reserve captain before the tournament began, having joined East Zone's main squad of 25 players, but stepped in as skipper after regular captain Ishan Kishan injured his right wrist while keeping. The problem occurred during the 19th over of Central Zone's first innings when Kishan was struck on the right wrist and had to be immediately tended to by the team physios before departing the crease for further tests and was seen later on the sidelines with a heavily strapped wrist.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi handed leadership role after Kishan's injury

With Kishan not able to bat at number 11, Kumar Kushagra steps in as wicketkeeper while Sooryavanshi takes command of the East Zone.

The 15-year-old batsman has taken on a new challenge as first-class cricket's newest captain. His initial role as vice-captain has already created a huge stir in domestic cricket, but East Zone officials insist it was a calculated decision.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his first-class debut in early 2024, and he is playing in only his second Duleep Trophy match and 10th overall first-class game. Sooryavanshi had little experience, and he was the youngest player on the field when he was asked to lead a group that included some of India's most experienced players.

Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar and Abhimanyu Easwaran are all among the stars in the East Zone squad, so his surprise promotion has caused even more excitement.

The 15-year-old had to step up when the reigning champions were put under pressure by the Central Zone spinners. East Zone had scored 81/3 by the lunch interval, meaning that Sooryavanshi had to take charge of an attack that included some of the country's best bowlers in a high-profile domestic knockout match.

The semi-final against the Central Zone has given Vaibhav Sooryavanshi yet another remarkable achievement to add to his growing list of accolades, after only a matter of months since his debut in first-class cricket.