In New Delhi, a 15-year-old has turned a usually low-key domestic fixture into must-watch cricket.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, still a schoolboy by age if not by temperament, is suddenly the name everyone wants to see on a teamsheet. The Duleep Trophy, often followed only by the hardcore, found itself in the spotlight this week — and a former India opener believes the teenager is only just getting started.
Kris Srikkanth, never one to underplay a talent, sees something far bigger than a promising prospect.
"He's playing outstandingly well. He must be encouraged and never be discouraged. If he's moulded properly, he'll be a superstar in the making," Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, before pushing the stakes even higher. "He'll bring Test cricket back to its glory. Everyone watched the Duleep Trophy because of him. Even my wife is watching because of him. He'll be a big asset going forward for World cricket."
A teenager who makes people tune in
This is the crux of the Sooryavanshi story so far: he is not just scoring runs, he is dragging eyeballs to formats and tournaments that usually live in the shadows of the IPL and international cricket.
The left-hander (or right-hander, the article doesn’t specify — but the impact is clear) did not start this Duleep Trophy campaign with fireworks. In East Zone's quarterfinal win over North East Zone, he barely left a mark. No headlines, no viral clips, just a quiet outing for a boy many had come to watch.
Then came the response.
Against Central Zone in the semifinal, Sooryavanshi walked out and tore into the attack with an innings that underlined why so many are talking about him. He hammered 92 off 81 balls in the first innings, scoring at a tempo that belongs more to a powerplay than to the often-grinding rhythms of red-ball cricket. When the chase grew tense in the final innings, he added a vital 40, helping East Zone seal a four-wicket win and a place in the final.
That would be impressive for any young batter. At 15 years and 157 days, it was historic. Sooryavanshi became the youngest batter ever to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history, wiping out a record that had stood for 57 years.
Fearless in red-ball cricket
For Srikkanth, the numbers only tell part of the story. What really catches the eye is the manner of those runs.
"He played incredibly well. How can people even doubt whether this boy… whether he is capable of playing higher-level cricket?" Srikkanth said, pushing back at any suggestion that Sooryavanshi should be handled with excessive caution. "He can play every level of cricket, and he is going to rule world cricket shortly in all formats."
The praise did not stop there. Srikkanth highlighted the kind of shot-making that turns selectors’ heads and bowlers’ legs to lead.
"He's smashing medium pacers with no worries for straight sixes in red-ball cricket. He's toying with the bowlers," he said.
That phrase — "straight sixes in red-ball cricket" — is exactly what will thrill those who fear Test cricket is losing its appeal. A teenager prepared to hit down the ground, in whites, with the field spread and the ball still reasonably hard, speaks to a different kind of batting DNA: fearless, uninhibited, but not mindless.
From IPL buzz to long-format promise
Sooryavanshi’s rise has not come out of nowhere. He has already lit up the IPL and tasted international cricket, rare territory for someone still years away from adulthood. The Duleep Trophy was supposed to be another step in his education, a place to learn the grind of longer spells, older opponents, trickier fields.
Instead, he has turned it into a stage.
For all the hype that surrounds young Indian batters every season, Srikkanth’s words carry a different weight. He is not just talking about a future white-ball star or a T20 specialist. He is talking about a player he believes can "bring Test cricket back to its glory" and "rule world cricket… in all formats."
That is a heavy tag to hang on a 15-year-old. The game has seen prodigies before, some who soared, some who faded. The challenge now will be to match the excitement with patience, the spotlight with proper guidance.
What is undeniable is this: a teenager has made the Duleep Trophy appointment viewing, smashed a 57-year-old record, and forced one of India’s most outspoken former openers to talk about him as a future global force.
For someone who has only just started his journey, that is a remarkable place to be.
