Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is going from strength to strength, and the BCCI has recognized a window to test the teenager in red-ball cricket after his white-ball exploits.
Following a thunderous IPL 2026 season, where he bagged the Orange Cap and MVP award, Sooryavanshi made his T20I debut in England, replacing Sanju Samson as an opener.
Most recently, the southpaw made his first major mark in international cricket with two thumping knocks in Zimbabwe, eventually bagging the Man of the Series award.
Sooryavanshi is part of India’s squad for the Asian Games, which will be played from September 24 in Japan. Before that, Sooryavanshi will be seen in action in the Duleep Trophy.
Has Sooryavanshi played in the Ranji Trophy?
Sooryavanshi has played eight first-class matches for Bihar but with ordinary returns: 207 runs in 12 innings at an average of only 17 with one fifty. However, his last FC appearance was in November 2025, when he was only 14 years of age and hadn’t had a full IPL season.
Now, with so much success and confidence gained in the last few months, Sooryavanshi would be ready to display his talent and skill set in red-ball cricket, with many pundits and fans already awaiting his India Test debut in the coming years.
Duleep Trophy: Ishan Kishan captain and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi vice-captain for East Zone, Mohammed Shami to make appearance
The BCCI has named Sooryavanshi as the vice-captain and Ishan Kishan as the captain for the East Zone team for the Duleep Trophy 2026, which begins on August 23. The East Zone team includes fast bowlers Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar.
Sooryavanshi will have veteran domestic batsman Abhimanyu Easwaran as his opening partner; the latter is looking to earn back his position as India’s backup opener, having also been dropped from the India A side. Kumar Kushagra, Virat Singh, and Anukul Roy, all three of whom are Kishan’s Jharkhand teammates, are part of the East Zone side.
Riyan Parag and Akash Deep were reportedly not considered for selection, as they are still in rehab for shoulder surgery and back surgery, respectively.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami would be desperate to stake a strong claim for a recall to the Indian team in Test and ODI formats. Shami’s last match for India was the final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, since when he’s been omitted by the selectors.
Duleep Trophy East Zone squad:
Ishan Kishan (C, wk), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (VC), Denish Das, Mohammed Shami, Virat Singh, Subranshu Senapati, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anukul Roy, Sudip Gharami, Suraj Jaiswal, Shikhar Mohan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Abhijit Sarkar
Get the Latest Cricket Updates at IceCric.News. Also, Follow Our Social Media for live updates on Facebook and Instagram.
