Vaibhav Sooryavanshi narrowly missed out on a maiden first-class century but produced another memorable performance in the Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone in Bengaluru on Monday.
The 15-year-old scored a brilliant 92 off 81 balls, hitting seven fours and seven sixes. His aggressive innings helped East Zone put pressure on Central Zone and also saw him create another record in his rapidly developing career.
At 15 years and 157 days, Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history. He reached the landmark in just 42 balls while opening the innings with Abhimanyu Easwaran.
The previous record belonged to Laxman Singh, who scored 63 for Central Zone against North Zone during the 1968-69 season at the age of 16 years and 23 days.
Sooryavanshi started in typically attacking fashion, hitting two boundaries in the opening over. He moved quickly through the 30s before receiving a major reprieve when a top edge was dropped. The youngster had briefly started walking towards the pavilion before realising that the catch had not been completed.
He made the most of the second chance, completing his fifty and then continuing his assault on the Central Zone bowlers. However, his attempt to reach three figures ended at 92.
Trying to attack Harsh Dubey, Sooryavanshi holed out to deep mid-wicket. His dismissal left him visibly disappointed as he slammed his bat while walking back to the pavilion.
The moment also caught the attention of former India pacer and selector RP Singh, who was watching the match from the stands. Singh appeared shocked by the youngster's dismissal after witnessing his impressive innings.
Despite falling eight runs short of his century, Sooryavanshi's knock was significant in another way. Alongside his trademark attacking strokes, he showed greater patience and control, defending good deliveries, rotating the strike and keeping several shots along the ground.
The innings was particularly encouraging considering his relatively modest first-class numbers before this match. He had scored 215 runs in 13 innings at an average of 16.53, with a previous best of 93 for Bihar against Meghalaya.
His 92 is now his highest score in the Duleep Trophy and his second first-class half-century. More importantly, the performance suggested that the teenage batter is gradually learning how to adapt his explosive style to the demands of red-ball cricket.
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