Fifteen-year-old batting sensation
Opening the batting alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sooryavanshi provided East Zone with a dynamic start. The teenager, who has already demonstrated his potential during the tournament's knockout stages, quickly settled into his rhythm before launching a calculated assault on Siraj during the seventh over of the innings.
Sooryavanshi attacks Siraj in Chennai
The confrontation began with Sooryavanshi executing a precise cut shot past point for four. He followed this up immediately by clearing his front leg to dispatch a full delivery from Siraj straight over long-off for a six. Despite Siraj switching his angle to around the wicket, the youngster remained unfazed, driving another full delivery over long-off that raced to the boundary for four. This sequence of shots saw the teenager collect 14 runs from the over, signaling his intent against the experienced international bowler.
For Siraj, who recently featured in the Test series against Sri Lanka, the opening spell proved challenging as he struggled to find his usual rhythm. The pacer concluded his initial five-over stint with figures of 0 for 41. Sooryavanshi’s aggressive knock eventually came to an end in the 15th over when he was dismissed for 44, caught at deep midwicket off the bowling of left-arm pacer Chama Milind.
East Zone builds strong foundation
Following their decision to bat first, East Zone established a commanding position early in the match. By the 20th over, the team had reached 125/1. Abhimanyu Easwaran anchored the innings, remaining unbeaten on 70 from 75 deliveries, while Shikhar Mohan provided support at the other end, contributing 10 runs from 9 balls. The partnership between the openers set a solid platform for East Zone as they look to capitalize on their strong start in the final.
