Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became one of the unlikely talking points of East Zone's Duleep Trophy triumph, with the 15-year-old repeatedly backing his captain's DRS calls during the final. Ishan Kishan, however, believes the teenager may have taken a little too much credit for those reviews.

Sooryavanshi was involved in two successful reviews in the final, helping East Zone overturn decisions against Ricky Bhui and Smaran Ravichandran. His only unsuccessful call came when Devdutt Padikkal was given out LBW, but his growing reputation as a DRS influence became one of the entertaining subplots of East Zone's title-winning campaign.

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After East Zone ended their 13-year wait for the Duleep Trophy, Kishan and Sooryavanshi looked back on those moments in a light-hearted interaction shared on X. The East Zone captain jokingly suggested that the teenager had become the face of reviews that were not always entirely his doing.

“Everyone has already taken credit for those reviews. Even though I was the one who was going to take the review, he would come over and casually say, ‘I’ll come to you,’ and then the internet will be like, ‘Vaibhav, my goodness!’ Vaibhav was the one who played that role really well,” Kishan said.

THE CREDIT STEALER GETS HIS SAY

Sooryavanshi was quick to defend himself, pointing out that there was one situation where Kishan had moved away from the decision and he had to step in.

“And when you were going away from my field, who was taking the review then? You should mention that too,” Sooryavanshi interjected.

Kishan immediately conceded the point before turning serious and praising the youngster's impact inside the East Zone dressing room.

“That was Vaibhav himself. But it’s very good to have him in the team because, you know, he is more than just a very good player. He is a very nice boy who takes care of each and every person in the team, whether it’s a junior player or a senior,” Kishan said.

The captain then realised he had perhaps made one small error while describing his vice-captain.

“Actually, you are the junior here. Sorry, sorry!” Kishan joked.

KISHAN SEES BIG THINGS AHEAD

The banter aside, Sooryavanshi's contribution went well beyond his DRS involvement. He scored 44 off 37 balls in the final and had earlier made 92 in the semi-final against Central Zone, while also successfully handling a review after taking over as stand-in captain.

Across the semi-final and final, Sooryavanshi was involved in three successful DRS calls, with just one unsuccessful review in the title clash. His presence also added another layer to a campaign in which East Zone eventually secured their first Duleep Trophy title in 13 years.

Kishan believes the teenager's best is still some distance away.

“Hopefully, he will become even more dangerous than what he is today. I don’t think this is going to be his first or last [such performance]. I think he is going to play many more games like this, and he will keep performing the way he is doing right now,” he said.

For Sooryavanshi, the Duleep Trophy triumph was another step in an already rapid rise. And if Kishan's playful “credit stealer” jibe is anything to go by, the teenager has already become quite comfortable making his presence felt around the senior players.

- Ends