Indore, Nov 14 (IANS) Vaibhav Sooryavanshi had a light-hearted moment on his historic captaincy debut on Saturday when the 15-year-old forgot the details of Bihar’s playing XI after winning the toss against Saurashtra in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2026-27 opener at the Holkar Stadium.
Asked about the team’s combination and playing XI after opting to bat, Sooryavanshi responded with a smile, saying, “I think, sir, bhool gaya lagta main (I think, sir, I have forgotten).”
The amusing exchange came on a landmark day for the Bihar youngster, who became the youngest captain in men’s T20 cricket history at 15 years and 232 days old.
Speaking about the opportunity to lead his home state, Sooryavanshi described the responsibility as a dream come true and expressed gratitude for the chance to captain the team where his cricketing journey began.
“It feels like a dream come true because I started playing cricket here, and getting the opportunity to lead the same state is a big thing. I am very grateful, and I will try to fulfil the responsibility given to me to the best of my ability,” he said.
Sooryavanshi surpassed Croatia’s Zach Vukusic, who had previously held the record after captaining his national team at the age of 17 years and 311 days.
The teenager’s first outing as Bihar captain, however, did not produce a substantial contribution with the bat. After winning the toss and electing to bat, he scored 18 off 12 deliveries before being caught and bowled by left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya.
Bihar struggled after his dismissal and managed 137/9 in their allotted 20 overs, with Prithvi Raj top-scoring with 38 runs.
Sooryavanshi’s availability for Bihar in the tournament will be limited, as he is scheduled to join India A for the ACC Rising Stars Emerging tournament in Doha after featuring in only two matches.
The youngster recently featured in India’s T20I series against New Zealand, scoring an impressive 45 off just 19 deliveries in a blistering opening partnership with Abhishek Sharma. India went on to win the five-match series 3-2.
–IANS
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