Vaibhav Sooryavanshi "Not Even Old As My Career": Mohammed Shami's Banter With Teenager
15-year-old batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and 36-year-old pacer Mohammed Shami shared the dressing room for East Zone in the recently-concluded Duleep Trophy 2026 final.
- Veteran pacer Mohammed Shami revealed his light-hearted dynamic with teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- The two shared the dressing room for East Zone in the recently-concluded Duleep Trophy final
- "He loves pulling my leg! I usually tease him back by saying he isn't even as old as my cricket career": Shami
The Duleep Trophy final brought two spectrums of Indian cricket together, as 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi shared the pitch with 36-year-old pacer Mohammed Shami for East Zone. Sooryavanshi even acted as captain to Shami at points during the game when regular skipper Ishan Kishan was off the field. Following East Zone's victory, Shami revealed that he and Sooryavanshi share a light-hearted dynamic, with the youngster often joking with him. The veteran fast bowler also shared the type of advice he has lended to the 15-year-old.
"He (Sooryavanshi) loves pulling my leg! I usually tease him back by saying he isn't even as old as my cricket career," Shami said after the game, as quoted by Cricinfo.
"But he constantly banters with me, and that's great to see. Being able to open up, mingle freely, and build camaraderie will serve him well going forward. I always encourage players to speak openly with everyone," Shami added.
Ahead of the match, Sooryavanshi had presented Shami with a special signed jersey on behalf of the East Zone squad as a celebration of the pacer completing 100 first-class games.
Shami revealed that there is no need to "over-coach" Sooryavanshi, but instead to step in with tactical advice in tricky situations.
"Most of these youngsters are already quite mature. With the level of cricket they play today, in the IPL and other high-pressure tournaments, maturity comes early, so you don't need to over-coach them. But yes, when the game gets tight and challenging, that's when you step in with tactical inputs and remind them to keep fighting," the pacer said.
Despite being out of the India reckoning for more than a year, Shami was among the wickets in the Duleep Trophy final, picking up two scalps in his only innings with the ball.
On the other hand, Sooryavanshi had an average game with the bat, slamming a quickfire 37-ball 44 in the first innings but scoring just 8 in the second.
Mohammed Shami
India Cricket Team