Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 31: East Zone vice-captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dazzled with a stroke-filled 92 as his side reached parity with defending champions Central Zone before Mukesh Kumar struck twice to give East the upper hand at the end of Day 2 of their Duleep Trophy clash on Monday.

Playing his first red-ball Test in the tournament, the 15-year-old Bihar batter smashed 92 off just 81 balls, hitting seven sixes and as many fours at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1.

Sooryavanshi became the youngest player to score a half-century in the Duleep Trophy. At 15 years and 157 days, he broke the 57-year-old record of Laxman Singh, who was 16 years and 23 days old when he scored a fifty in the tournament in 1969.

Sooryavanshi came close to becoming the youngest centurion in Duleep Trophy history but was caught at deep midwicket off Harsh Dubey.

While Sooryavanshi attacked the Central bowlers, senior opening partner Abhimanyu Easwaran held one end together, scoring 69 off 106 balls. The duo put on 161 runs for the opening wicket.

Sooryavanshi’s dismissal, however, triggered a collapse in the Ishan Kishan-led East batting line-up as Dubey, Aryan Pandey and Yash Thakur tore through the middle order.

Dubey struck twice in two balls, dismissing Kumar Kushagra on the next delivery before Aryan Pandey continued the damage.

The Madhya Pradesh seamer produced an impressive spell after lunch, claiming three wickets in 15 minutes, including the dismissals of Easwaran, Virat Singh and Sudip Gharami.

Yash Thakur also picked up three wickets as East were bowled out for 266, matching Central Zone’s first-innings total from Day 1.

India internationals Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Shami then put East in a strong position with their combined three wickets.

Mukesh struck first, removing Kunal Chandela in the fifth over, before Shami joined the attack by dismissing Aryan Juyal, who was caught in the slips.

Mukesh then claimed the prized wicket of Central captain Rajat Patidar, dismissing him with another short ball after Patidar had suffered a similar chopped-on dismissal in the first innings.

Central Zone reached 45/3 at stumps on Day 2, holding a second-innings lead of 45 runs.