Teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi took on senior India pacer Mohammed Siraj and hit him for three boundaries in a single over on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final between East Zone and South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
Opening the innings alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sooryavanshi gave East Zone a fiery start in the first session. The pair continued the good partnership they had built during the knockout matches and helped their team settle quickly.
The 15-year-old reached 20-run mark at a brisk pace before attacking Siraj in the seventh over.
He began the over with a cut shot past point for four. On the very next ball, he punished a full delivery by clearing his front leg and hitting a straight six over long-off.
Siraj then switched to around the wicket, but again bowled a full ball in the slot. Sooryavanshi played the same shot over long-off. This time the ball did not travel over the ropes, but it still raced away for four, giving him three boundaries in the over.
Siraj, who had recently played both Tests against Sri Lanka, could not find his usual rhythm in his first spell. He finished his first five overs with figures of 0 for 41.
Sooryavanshi’s innings ended in the 15th over when he was dismissed for 44. Left-arm pacer Chama Milind got him caught at deep midwicket.
After choosing to bat first, East Zone made a strong start in the final. At the time of writing, they were 125/1 after 20 overs, with Abhimanyu Easwaran unbeaten on 70 off 75 balls and Shikhar Mohan batting on 10 off 9 balls.