Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is quickly establishing himself as a player capable of making a difference with both bat and ball. The 15-year-old produced another important performance in the Duleep Trophy, this time playing a key role with his left-arm spin for East Zone.
East Zone needed wickets against North East Zone, and with the opposition refusing to collapse, skipper Ishan Kishan turned to Sooryavanshi. The decision paid off as the youngster picked up two wickets in just three overs, finishing with figures of 2/11.
Sooryavanshi first accounted for Kishan Lyngdoh, who went after the spinner but failed to control his shot and was caught at mid-wicket. He then struck again when Imliwati Lemtur edged one behind to the wicketkeeper.
Reflecting on his brief bowling spell after East Zone’s win, Sooryavanshi said he was aware that he would probably get only a handful of overs. He also revealed that Kishan thought handing him the ball was a risk because the captain did not know enough about his wicket-taking ability.
“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,” Sooryavanshi said in a video shared by BCCI Domestic.
The youngster said he focused on bowling consistently and making the most of the limited opportunity he received.
“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,” he added.