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Duleep Trophy 2026 Semi-final: Eastern Zone needs to score 159 runs to qualify for the final
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Aaj Tak
www.aajtak.in

Duleep Trophy 2026 Semi-final: Eastern Zone needs to score 159 runs to qualify for the final

The first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 is taking place in Bangalore at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1, having started on Sunday, August 30. As of September 1, it is the third day of the match.

The Eastern Zone decided to conduct field work after the toss. Earlier, the Central Zone won the first half, scoring 266 runs in the first innings. In response, the Eastern Zone also scored 266 runs.

The second innings of the Central Zone ended at 158 runs, meaning the Eastern Zone needs to score 159 runs to qualify for the Duleep Trophy final. The 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi will once again feature in this match and demonstrate brilliant play.

15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi showed impressive play in the first innings of the semi-final against the Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2026. He scored 92 runs off 81 balls, including 7 fours and 7 sixes. At the age of 15 and 157 days, he broke the old record of 57 years, becoming the youngest player to reach fifty in Duleep Trophy history, although he was still 8 runs away from a century.

Thanks to this performance, he became the youngest batsman to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history. The team compositions were as follows: Eastern Zone: Abhimanyu Ishwar, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kumar Kushagra, Sudip Kumar Garami, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper, captain), Virat Singh, Mohammed Kaunin Qurayshi, Anukul Roy, Abidjit Ke Sarkar, Mohammed Shmi, Mukesh Kumar. Central Zone: Aman Mokhade, Aryan Juyal (wicketkeeper), Kunal Chandela, Yash Rathod, Rajat Patidar (captain), Rinku Singh, Saransh Jain, Harsh Dubey, Arshad Khan, Yash Thakur, Aryan Pandey.

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Vaibhav Suryavanshi demonstrates mastery using first DRS in Dalip Trophy semi-final
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www.aajtak.in

Vaibhav Suryavanshi demonstrates mastery using first DRS in Dalip Trophy semi-final

Despite being only 15 years old, Vaibhav Suryavanshi's understanding of cricket significantly surpasses his age. When Vaibhav was suddenly offered the captaincy role from the Eastern region in the Dalip Trophy semi-final match against the Central region, he made a decision that demonstrated his foresight.

This match took place at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) stadium in Bangalore, owned by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Vaibhav took charge of the team after the main captain, Ishan Kishan, sustained an injury. The most significant moment in his brief tenure as captain came in the 40th over when he utilized his first DRS review, and the decision proved to be absolutely correct.

In the 40th over, Mukesh Kumar of the Central region appealed for a catch against Aryan Juala. The umpire dismissed this appeal, but Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who was in the slap zone, was convinced that the ball had touched the bat. Mukesh asked the captain to request a review, and Vaibhav immediately signaled for the use of DRS. Upon replay, clear movement of the ball near the bat on the ultraedge was visible. Consequently, the third umpire changed the field umpire's decision. Thus, Vaibhav's first review as captain was successful. After Juala's dismissal, the Central region's score stood at 99/4, and Juala left the field with a personal score of 46 runs.

Vaibhav was completely confident in his decision because he personally witnessed the contact between the ball and the bat while in the slap zone. During commentary, he was praised for his ability to understand the situation without relying on the sound of the stomp microphone. Standing wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra also expressed full confidence in Vaibhav regarding the necessity of requesting the review.

Initially, Ishan Kishan was the captain of the Eastern region. However, during the 19th over, he suffered a finger injury and was forced to leave the field. After Ishan's departure, the responsibilities of captaincy fell upon Vaibhav. Kumar Kushagra took the position of wicketkeeper, while Vaibhav was responsible for field placements and developing strategies with the bowlers. Ishan later returned to the field with his hand taped, but no longer occupied the wicketkeeper position.

Vaibhav Suryavanshi was initially appointed as the vice-captain of the Eastern region for this tournament. This decision sparked discussion because his first-class experience was quite limited. Ishan's injury provided him with the opportunity to lead the team. It was his first experience of captaincy at a high level. This responsibility arose when Vaibhav had played only nine first-class matches. Therefore, making decisions on the field in such a major match was something significant for him.

In recent months, Vaibhav Suryavanshi has quickly established himself in Indian cricket. He scored 776 runs in the 2026 IPL season for Rajasthan Royals (RR). Following this, he made a splash by scoring 94 runs in 29 matches in the final of the India-A versus Sri Lanka-A three-series. Internationally, after struggling in the initial matches against England, he made an impressive comeback, scoring two half-centuries against Zimbabwe.

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