Why Was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Named Vice-Captain Suddenly? Selector Reveals

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in action for India [Source: BCCI]

Earlier this week, the boy wonder, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, was handed the responsibility of being East Zone vice-captain for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, shocking people in the fraternity.

This comes on the back of his blockbuster IPL 2026, shattering records and earning his maiden India cap at just 15. Furthermore, he was also named the Player of the Match as top-scorer of his first full series as an India player in Zimbabwe. He is set to act as the deputy to Jharkhand’s Ishan Kishan, who will lead the East Zone in the red-ball competition.

Why was Sooryavanshi made East Zone’s vice-captain?

Having announced the squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy on Wednesday, Sooryavanshi’s appointment as vice-captain created a stir in the media. Many believe that giving him game time in senior cricket is much more important currently and he shouldn’t be handed any leadership roles, so he can express himself.

Former Odisha player and current East Zone coach Pravanjan Mullick reasoned against the critics and believes this experience will groom him for a potential India captaincy down the road. He also noted that Sooryavanshi has already been in this role for Bihar previously.

“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,” he told Cricbuzz.

“This is a great opportunity for him to be vice-captain in the Duleep Trophy. 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,” said Pravanjan Mullick.

Notably, this team has Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has previously been in leadership roles. Other seniors include Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Anukul Roy, among others. 

East Zone Squad for Duleep Trophy

Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Ishan Kishan (c), Kumar Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan, Anukul Roy, Virat Singh, Subhranshu Senapati, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (vc), Denish Das and Abhijit Sarkar.

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Sooryavanshi caught off-guard by East Zone selectors?

Coming off a great T20 season, Sooryavanshi’s focus will momentarily shift to red-ball cricket for a couple of weeks, with East Zone taking on the North East Zone on August 23 for the Play-off to play the semi-final.

According to Mullick, there were no prior discussions with Sooryavanshi or his family regarding the added responsibility. Mullick revealed there was a clear majority in this decision and that they hope for the southpaw to do well and put himself in contention for the Test team after this two-week tournament.

“[On discussions with Sooryavanshi] No, none at all. It was a collective decision taken by all the selectors from the eastern states. He has the ability to handle responsibility and is capable of leading the team when required. More importantly, this is a great opportunity for him to score runs.”

“If he performs well in the Duleep Trophy, the national selectors will certainly be watching him. You never know, he could be in contention for the Indian Test team sooner rather than later.”

Duleep Trophy Schedule 2026 schedule

East Zone begin their Duleep Trophy 2026 against NorthEast Zone alongside the North Zone vs West Zone clash at the Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru on August 23. The winners of the respective matches will meet the defending champions Central Zone and South Zone in the semi-finals on August 30.

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