Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showed sharp awareness on Day 3 of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, convincing captain Ishan Kishan to take a DRS review. East Zone secured their first breakthrough after the successful review at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, September 8.
South Zone were already under pressure after East Zone posted a massive total of 708 runs in their first innings. Ishan Kishan led the team from the front with a superb 270, while Kumar Kushagra also scored a century as the East Zone put themselves in a commanding position before the close of Day 2.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Convinces Ishan Kishan to Take Successful Review
During the sixth over of South Zone’s innings, Mukesh Kumar got an edge from opener Ricky Bhui, but the on-field umpire rejected the caught-behind appeal. Wicketkeeper Kumar Kushagra and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who was positioned at slip, were convinced that the ball had nicked the bat.
Sooryavanshi kept urging captain Ishan Kishan to take the review and could be heard on the stump microphone asking him to go for the DRS. UltraEdge showed a clear spike as the ball took the inside edge, overturning the on-field decision and giving East Zone their first wicket.
“A wonderful catch by Kumar Kushagra. But if you need to take the review, you’ll have to go to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. Firstly, listen to what he has to say. Vaibhav could be heard telling Ishan Kishan on the stump mic ‘I’m telling you, take it. Take the review.’ Mukesh Kumar, say thank you to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. It’s because of him that they’ve taken the review,” the commentator said on air.
🗣️ Take it...take it
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 8, 2026
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 🤝 Review
The vice-captain urges the captain to take the review, and it turns out to be successful 🙌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/BhTkGWeeoD#DuleepTrophy | #EZvSZ pic.twitter.com/MmtESDSnMy
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi Gets It Wrong on Second DRS Review
East Zone tried to use Sooryavanshi’s instincts again soon after when Md Kounain Quraishi struck Devdutt Padikkal on the pads early in his innings. The slip fielder once again convinced Kishan to review the decision as East Zone looked for their second wicket.
However, the second review did not go their way. Hawk-Eye showed that the ball was missing the stumps and East Zone lost one of their reviews. Padikkal survived and grew in confidence as he joined N Jagadeesan to rebuild the South Zone innings.
East Zone eventually broke the partnership when Shikhar Mohan dismissed Jagadeesan for 32 off 42 balls. The wicket helped East Zone maintain their advantage as South Zone continued their difficult first-innings response.
Ishan Kishan’s 270 Puts East Zone in Command
East Zone posted a huge total of 708 runs in their first innings. Ishan Kishan scored 270 runs off 300 balls, including 27 fours and seven sixes. It is the second-highest individual score in a Duleep Trophy final behind Raman Lamba’s 320.
Kumar Kushagra also scored a century, while Abhimanyu Easwaran and Shikhar Mohan contributed 72 and 85, respectively. Sooryavanshi also made a valuable contribution at the top of the order, scoring 44 off 37 balls with five fours and a six.
He added 101 runs with Easwaran and continued his strong tournament after scoring 92 in the semi-final against Central Zone. For South Zone, T Vijay was the leading wicket-taker with 4/180, while Chama Milind and Shreyas Gopal claimed two wickets each.
