NEW DELHI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has wasted little time getting back to work after a productive tour of Zimbabwe, sharing a glimpse of his batting preparations ahead of the new domestic season and the Duleep Trophy.The teenage India batter posted a video on his official Instagram account showing him working in the nets, focusing on both defence and attacking strokes. “Preparation,” Sooryavanshi captioned the post.The session comes at an important stage in the 15-year-old’s rapidly developing career. Sooryavanshi has been named vice-captain of East Zone for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, with experienced wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan set to lead the side.Watch: Sooryavanshi gets ready for Duleep TrophySooryavanshi’s elevation to the leadership group has attracted considerable attention, given his age and meteoric rise over the past year.However, East Zone selector Pravanjan Mullick said the appointment is intended to gradually prepare the teenager for greater responsibility rather than place the burden of captaincy on him immediately.“He has not been made the captain. He has only been made the vice-captain. The captain is Ishan Kishan. Besides, Ishan is a wicketkeeper, so he will be actively involved throughout the day. It is not as though Vaibhav will be captaining the team all day. As he grows, he is maturing day by day. Giving him more responsibility will help him mature even further,” Mullick told Cricbuzz after the squad announcement.The selectors have also pointed to Sooryavanshi’s previous experience in leadership roles. He has served as Bihar’s vice-captain in first-class cricket and was part of India’s leadership group during their Under-19 World Cup campaign.“This is a great opportunity for him to take on the responsibility of being vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy. He wants to do well for the country, and we believe giving young players responsibility is important. Who knows? We are keeping our fingers crossed that one day he could even become India’s captain. That is the thought behind giving him the vice-captaincy,” Mullick had said.
Zimbabwe success followed England setback
Sooryavanshi’s preparations come after an impressive tour of Zimbabwe, where he finished as India’s leading run-scorer with 151 runs in three innings at an average of 50.33 and a strike rate of 196.10.He scored two fifties, including an unbeaten 81, and was named Player of the Series as India secured their first T20I series victory under captain Shreyas Iyer.That was a significant response after a difficult start to his international career. Sooryavanshi made his India debut during the England tour but failed to cross the 20-run mark in his three innings.He now has six T20I appearances and 193 runs at an average of 32.16 and a remarkable strike rate of 189.21, including two fifties.His next challenge will be markedly different. The Duleep Trophy will provide Sooryavanshi with an opportunity to test his batting in the longer format, with national selectors set to keep a close eye on his progress.East Zone, led by Kishan and featuring the likes of Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed and Abhimanyu Easwaran, will begin their campaign against North Zone in Bengaluru on August 23.
- East Zone Squad: Ishan Kishan (captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (vc), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Kumar Kushagra, Shikjar Mohan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, Subhransu Senapati, Denish Das, Abhijit Sarkar.
