South Zone captain
Despite the confrontation, the teenager from Samastipur, Bihar, appeared unfazed, maintaining his aggressive batting approach against the South Zone bowling attack. Sooryavanshi, serving as the East Zone vice-captain, had begun his innings with intent, capitalising on the field settings established by Varma early in the match.
Sooryavanshi targets Siraj as East Zone builds momentum
The young batter demonstrated significant composure when facing India international Mohammed Siraj. In a particularly aggressive sequence, Sooryavanshi struck two boundaries and a six in a single over against the pacer. This display of power forced Varma to adjust his tactics and remove Siraj from the bowling attack.
While Sooryavanshi dictated the pace, his opening partner Abhimanyu Easwaran provided steady support, reaching his half-century before eventually contributing 72 runs to the total. The pair successfully navigated the early overs to establish a 100-run partnership, putting East Zone in a strong position after captain Ishan Kishan won the toss and elected to bat first.
Dismissal ends promising knock
Despite his fluent start, Sooryavanshi was unable to convert his innings into a maiden century, falling for 44 runs to a delivery from Chama V Milind. His dismissal came as he attempted to maintain his attacking momentum. This result mirrors his performance in the semi-final against Central Zone, where he was dismissed for 92, though his efforts were instrumental in helping the Ishan Kishan-led side reach the final.
East Zone enters this match seeking their first Duleep Trophy title since the 2012-13 season. In contrast, South Zone holds a dominant history in the tournament with 12 titles, including a victory in 2023. The final features several changes for South Zone, including the return of Devdutt Padikkal and Mohammed Siraj to the starting XI, while East Zone made one adjustment to their lineup.
