You could hear the cheers even before you walked into Chepauk on Sunday morning. A good half an hour before the start of the game, with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association opening up C,D and E lower stands for free to the public, and the Duleep Trophy final not short on star power, a good turnout was expected. In terms of crowd pullers, one needn’t have looked past Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.

Two years ago, it was at this venue where he made his Under-19 debut, scoring a sparkling century for India against Australia. On that occasion, the game was played behind closed doors, sans telecast. But in the two years, Sooryavanshi returned to the venue as the “Boss baby”. The chants at the end of play calling out his name and ‘Boss baby” showed what he has turned into as he spent a good 10 minutes signing autographs and clicking photographs.

But none would match the thrill he provided during his brief stay. When he walked back having made 44 off 37, he would have spent the rest of the day cursing himself for missing out plenty in the middle. Against a South Zone attack that looked pedestrian, this was an opportunity lost for Sooryavanshi to get his maiden first-class century. The ease with which the rest of his teammates scored would have made him kick the turf.

For it was a day where Sooryavanshi had everything behind him, including the 10,000 spectators who had turned up. Straightaway, it was a blockbuster match-up, Sooryavanshi vs Mohammed Siraj. By the time the pacer finished his first spell 5-0-41-0, there was just one winner – Sooryavanshi. In the IPL, he has taken down many illustrious names, but the disdain with which he brushed off Siraj’s first spell was down to how bad the seamer was.

4️⃣,6️⃣,4️⃣

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi on the charge with some delightful shots 🔥

The 50-run stand also comes up between Vaibhav and Abhimanyu Easwaran 🙌

Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/KQf5Km69nk#DuleepTrophy | #SZvEZ pic.twitter.com/0XLR4LI50R

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 6, 2026

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Bowling with a new ball, and with a short run-up, Siraj was definitely off-colour. He sprayed either side and in the seventh over, when the pacer finally tried to pitch it up, the 15-year-old just extended his forearm and sent it sailing over mid-off for six and two boundaries. On another day, and another batsman, this would have been the moment that would have left Siraj seething in anger and engaging in mind games. But on Sunday, he just turned his back and walked back.

It was not as if Siraj didn’t pose questions. He did so early in his spell on a couple of occasions, but the usual rhythm was missing. For a seamer who bowls in the high 130kmph to early 140kmph, his pace had a clear dip as he clocked mostly in the high 130kmph in his first spell.

That he started off with five fielders in the deep against Sooryavanshi and exposed their defensive side didn’t help either. Maybe the usual attacking field on a pitch with good bounce on offer and movement early on, would have made Siraj bowl his usual lines. The slanting line across the left-hander with the ball landing on a blindspot and moving away is his bread and butter. But with this plan it was nowhere to be seen. Or perhaps he was bowling to the batsman rather than sticking to his plans.

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If Sooryavanshi missed an opportunity to score big, Siraj showed he is rusty. With chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar in attendance, Siraj had a chance to bounce back from the ordinary outing he had at Colombo. His lack of control after a good break was the reason he was summoned to play the final. But the first impression is that he still has a long way to go to regain his peak levels.