12000 Fans, 44-Run Fiery Knock: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Fever Hits Duleep Trophy Final
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was the star attraction for the fans on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy final.
'Vaibhav bhai, Vaibhav ji, Vaibhav.' The roar reached a crescendo as Sooryavanshi walked to the fence to greet fans, who have been waiting since Sunday morning to have a closer look at the latest cricketing darling. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association opened the lower stands in the C, D and E blocks at the MA Chidambaram Stadium free of cost for the Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and East Zone. But they would not have expected nearly 12000 spectators to rush to fill those decks. It's a rare sight in domestic cricket these days, and often confined to the romantics' memories from the 80s or 90s. The last time such a frenzy was witnessed was on January 30, 2025 when Virat Kohli turned out for Delhi in a Ranji Trophy match after 12 years. Before that some 15000 fans waited to get a glimpse of Sachin Tendulkar in his last first-class match for Mumbai against Haryana at Lahli in 2013.
Sooryavanshi is yet to climb the batting heights those two icons have managed during their illustrious careers.
But an explosive IPL 2026 has given the 15-year-old the kind of stardom only a select few has enjoyed in Indian cricket.
For someone like England's Jos Buttler, Sooryavanshi is destined to break all T20 records and for Krishnamachari Srikkanth, the Bihar boy will infuse more life into Test cricket in near future.
For his East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan, Sooryavanshi is "very smart for a 15-year-old boy" who already knows inside out of his life and career.
But there is this boyish impishness still simmering under that collected exterior.
It oozed out when he hammered senior India pacer Mohammad Siraj for a six and two fours in an over.
Siraj and fellow quick MD Nideesh tested him with a few snorters early in the first session but the left-hander ducked or weaved away from them.
The Hyderabad man soon changed the angle of attack — much fuller, dangerously close to Sooryavanshi's hitting arc.
The batter exploited to the hilt, eking out a total of three boundaries and a maximum.
From 11 off 14 balls, Sooryavanshi soon moved to 34 off 24 balls.
The 93-minute show, which kept the rooting fans delirious, eventually ended when Sooryavanshi pulled CV Milind to substitute fielder Tanay Thyagarajan in the deep.
However, the crowd did not disperse. They waited till the end of the day to chant his name incessantly, prompting Sooryavanshi to spend a few minutes with the eager fans.
So, how does Sooryavanshi take in all this adulation, the status of national crush? "He is a down to earth person. He does not think much about all this and thinks only about his cricket. It's nice to have him in the dressing room," said Shikhar Mohan, his East Zone teammate after the day's play.
But that moment transpired under the fading Chennai sun made one thing clear — Vaibhav era has just begun.