Cricket

'Not my fault': Sooryavanshi sledges back at Tilak Varma, returns 'first innings' favour as South Zone captain complains

September 10, 2026

During the Duleep Trophy final at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium, a verbal exchange unfolded between East Zone's 15-year-old batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and South Zone captain Tilak Varma. In the opening essay, after Sooryavanshi partnered Abhimanyu Easwaran for a century stand and scored 44 off 37 deliveries—impressing against Mohammed Siraj—Varma chirped at his former India and India A dressing-room colleague from behind the stumps, questioning him as vice-captain before the teenager quickly lost his wicket.

On the fourth morning, the Bihar youngster and Rajasthan Royals player paid back the tactic by chattering near Varma as they walked out; when Varma apparently appealed to the umpire, Sooryavanshi smilingly argued that identical treatment had been directed at him earlier and that it was not his fault.

Varma stayed composed to compile 99 runs before falling short of a ton as South Zone were bowled out for 336, though his aggregate of 116 not out, 51 not out, and 99 still earned him Player of the Series honours. Powered by skipper Ishan Kishan's monumental 270 on the second day alongside an 80 in the following innings—amassing 334 balls faced over 522 minutes at the crease—East Zone posted 708 and 388 for 7 to secure their first championship in 13 years via the first-innings advantage.