East Zone selector breaks silence on Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s vice-captaincy after heavy criticism

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi is continue making his mark on Indian cricket. He was recently appointed leadership of the East Zone team. In the 2026 Duleep Trophy, East Zone will be captained by Ishan Kishan, while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi will be vice-captain. The selectors’ decision has come under heavy criticism. Many experts believe that it is unfair to put such a huge responsibility on Vaibhav’s shoulder at a young age.

East Zone selector explains vice-captaincy decision

Now, Praveenjan Malik, one of the East Zone team selectors and a former Ranji cricketer, has spoken openly on this subject. According to Cricbuzz, Praveenjan said that he gave Vaibhav the vice-captaincy because he wanted to develop him as a leader.

“He has not been made the captain, he has only been given the vice-captaincy. The captain is Ishan and he is also the wicketkeeper, so his contribution will be greater throughout the match. It is not as if Vaibhav will be captaining the team the entire day. He is becoming more mature day by day. Having more responsibility will help him become more mature,” Selector Praveen Malik said.

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Read Must: Duleep Trophy 2026: Big reward for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, named East Zone vice-captain alongside captain Ishan Kishan

Vaibhav’s leadership experience highlighted

Pravanjan Malik also mentioned that Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has served as the vice-captain of the Bihar team in first-class cricket. He also served as the vice-captain of Team India in the Under-19 World Cup. He expressed optimism that this responsibility may help Vaibhav become the captain of the Indian team in the future.

Harsha Bhogle questions the appointment

Meanwhile, Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle questioned the decision to appoint Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as East Zone vice-captain for Duleep Trophy 2026-27.

“Sooryavanshi has played 12 innings for 207 runs, (averaging) 17.25 (in first-class cricket). His talent is extraordinary but there is a learning curve and he is at the bottom of it in red ball cricket,” he stated.

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Duleep Trophy 2026 schedule

Duleep Trophy 2026 tournament will be played from August 23 to September 6. So far, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has got off to a good start to his international career with 193 runs, including two half-centuries in six innings.