15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi spins East Zone into Duleep Trophy semifinals

East Zone's teenage left-arm spinner claimed two wickets in a single over as his side demolished North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs in the Duleep Trophy quarter-final in Bengaluru.

Dramatic Double Strike

Vaibhav Suryavanshi, just 15 years old, bowled a match-defining 27th over in North East Zone's follow-on innings that hastened their collapse. Operating as a slow orthodox spinner, he first struck on the second ball when Kishan Lingdoh attempted an aggressive shot but failed to make proper contact with the bat, giving substitute fielder Danish Das a straightforward catch. Lingdoh had scored 25 runs off 40 balls with two fours and a six.

Four deliveries later, Vaibhav struck again. Imliwati Lemtur, who had just arrived at the crease and hit a boundary off his first ball, fell to the fifth delivery of the over when wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan pouched the catch. Lemtur managed only four runs from three balls.

Clinical Bowling Figures

The Bihar teenager finished with impressive figures of 2 for 11 from three overs, providing the breakthrough his team needed as North East Zone crumbled under pressure. His spell came after Mohammad Shami and Mukesh Kumar had applied early pressure with the new ball, followed by wickets from Shahbaz Ahmed and Anukul Roy.

One-Sided Contest

East Zone had established overwhelming dominance from the first innings, piling up 467 runs led by Shahbaz Ahmed's career-best first-class score of 167. Sudip Kumar Gharami contributed 146, while Kumar Kushagra added 55. In response, North East Zone collapsed for just 111, with Abhijit K. Sarkar claiming five wickets and Shahbaz Ahmed taking three. The 356-run deficit forced them to follow on.

Batting Struggles Continue

The follow-on brought no respite for North East Zone, who lost wickets steadily and slumped to 102 for eight at one stage, still needing 254 runs to make East Zone bat again. They were eventually bowled out for 146, losing by an innings and 210 runs. East Zone's comprehensive victory—achieved after North East totalled 111 and 146 against their 467—secured a semifinal berth against Central Zone on August 30.

Jersey Number Symbolism

Vaibhav made headlines earlier in the match when he taped over his East Zone jersey to display only the number three, his preferred batting position. However, his contribution with the bat was minimal—he scored eight runs off six balls with two boundaries in East Zone's first innings before being caught in the gully off the final ball of an over.

The young spinner's match-winning spell demonstrated his growing repertoire beyond batting, providing his team the crucial breakthroughs needed to seal a dominant victory in the knockout fixture.