The upcoming Duleep Trophy 2026-27 will see Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as the vice-captain of the East Zone team, which Ishan Kishan will lead. The Duleep Trophy will kick-off on August 23 with East Zone taking on North East Zone in Bengaluru.
While Sooryavanshi has taken the cricketing world by storm with his stunning exploits in the shortest format, he is yet to prove his mettle in first-class cricket. Hence, the decision to hand the leadership responsibility to the teenage prodigy has been questioned by quite a few cricket experts, including veteran commentator Harsha Bhogle.
However, one member of the East Zone selection committee defended the call, explaining the rationale behind the move.
“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,” Pravanjan Mullick, a former Odisha Ranji player, said while speaking to Cricbuzz.
“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,” he added.
Mullick also mentioned that Sooryavanshi is the vice-captain of the Bihar side and Ayush Mhatre’s deputy when India won the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year.
“He has been doing very well for the country and also had an excellent IPL season with Rajasthan Royals. He is also the vice-captain of Bihar in first-class cricket.”
Mullick, who currently serves as the coach of Odisha side, clarified that no discussions were held with the player before the appointment was made. “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.”
Despite the social media backlash regarding Sooryavanshi’s readiness for a red-ball leadership role, Mullick said the selection panel stands firmly by their move.
“With due respect to everyone expressing their views, they are entitled to their opinions. Everyone has a right to think differently, and we cannot change that. But we did what we believed was best for the team. It was a collective decision,” he remarked.
Earlier, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made his T20I debut against England at Old Trafford. The southpaw failed to make a mark in his maiden series, registering scores of 14, 13 and 15 before being benched in the final game.
However, the 15-year-old made a great comeback in the subsequent T20I tour of Zimbabwe, where he bagged the Player-of-the-Series award after amassing 151 runs at a strike rate of 196.10 with two half-centuries in three innings.
