Fifteen-year-old batting prodigy
Sooryavanshi, aged 15 years and 175 days, surpassed a long-standing record held by Laxman Singh, who was 16 years and 23 days old when he reached the milestone in 1969. The young batter’s aggressive innings eventually ended at 92 runs from 81 balls, leaving him just eight runs shy of a century but providing a vital contribution for his side.
A landmark performance and leadership display
The record-breaking knock was the highlight of an eventful few days for the youngster, who had already demonstrated composure beyond his years earlier in the match. When East Zone captain Ishan Kishan was forced to leave the field on the opening day after sustaining a right-wrist injury, Sooryavanshi stepped into the leadership role for an hour. During this stint as stand-in captain, he displayed sharp tactical awareness by successfully challenging an on-field decision via DRS. He correctly reviewed a caught-behind appeal against Central Zone’s Aryan Juyal, with UltraEdge confirming a faint edge to secure a key breakthrough.
Central Zone were ultimately dismissed for 266 in 80.1 overs. While Rinku Singh provided resistance with a top score of 60, the East Zone bowling attack remained disciplined. Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar were the primary architects of the collapse, claiming three wickets each, while Mohammed Shami and Md Kounain Quraishi chipped in with two wickets apiece. A 55-run partnership between Rinku and Harsh Dubey briefly steadied the innings, but Quraishi’s dismissal of Dubey triggered a late-order slide that kept East Zone firmly in control of the contest.
