East Zone captain Ishan Kishan and vice-captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shared a hilarious exchange while reflecting on their memorable DRS moments during the 2026 Duleep Trophy final.
The final between East Zone and South Zone ended in a draw, but East Zone were crowned champions after securing a crucial first-innings lead. Sooryavanshi played an important role throughout the contest and grabbed plenty of attention for his confident DRS calls.
During one such moment, the 15-year-old urged Kishan to take a review. Speaking after the match, Kishan jokingly claimed that Sooryavanshi had taken all the credit for the successful review, despite the captain already considering the decision.
“He’s taken all the credit in the review everywhere. Although I was going to take the review, he came up and said it so confidently. Then the internet will be like, ‘Vaibhav! My goodness! Vaibhav is the one!’ So he played that role very well. I’m very happy,” Kishan said in a video released by BCCI Domestic.
Sooryavanshi was quick to hit back, reminding his captain that he had taken charge of the reviews whenever Kishan was off the field.
“When you were going off the field, who was taking the reviews then? Tell us that too,” Sooryavanshi replied.
Sooryavanshi Steps Up in Kishan’s Absence
Kishan was briefly off the field during the final, allowing Sooryavanshi to take over the captaincy responsibilities for East Zone.
During that spell, Mohammed Shami found the edge of South Zone batter Smaran Ravichandran’s bat. Wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra appealed for the dismissal, and Sooryavanshi immediately called for a review.
The decision went in East Zone’s favour, with Ravichandran dismissed for 23. Sooryavanshi’s confident call was followed by celebrations from the youngster and his teammates.
Kishan Backs Sooryavanshi for Bigger Things
Kishan was also impressed by Sooryavanshi’s contribution beyond his performances with the bat. The East Zone captain praised the youngster’s attitude and his ability to connect with teammates across different age groups.
“More than a very good player, he’s a very nice boy who takes care of each and everyone in the team, whether it is a junior player or senior. That is one quality which I love about him and hopefully he will be more dangerous than what he is today,” Kishan said.
The wicketkeeper-batter also backed Sooryavanshi to produce many more impressive performances in domestic cricket.
“It is not going to be his first or last. He is going to play many more like this and keep performing the way he is doing right now,” he added.
Sooryavanshi scored 44 off 37 balls in East Zone’s first innings, including five fours and a six. Although he managed only eight runs in the second innings, his overall contribution and confidence throughout the final earned plenty of praise from his captain.
