Kishan’s blazing ton puts East Zone on top in Duleep Trophy final

East Zone prevailed over South Zone on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final, scoring 385 for 4, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. With an unbeaten 111, skipper Ishan Kishan led the way, with contributions from Shikhar Mohan (85) and Kumar Kushagra (63*). On a placid surface, South Zone struggled, despite being buoyed by the return of Test stars.

After winning the toss, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi chose to bat first, and his 37-ball 44 was the highlight of the first session and the 100-run opening stand. In the fifth over, the young sensation broke free and hit MD Nidheesh for two boundaries. In the subsequent over, he took on Mohammed Siraj by slashing a boundary through point before lofting the subsequent delivery over long-off for six. He lifted another delivery over mid-off for four to complete the over. In the 14 overs he bowled, Siraj continued to be costly, allowing nearly seven runs per over.

Abhimanyu Easwaran launched an attack as well, hitting Tripurana Vijay for six in the following over after hitting Siraj for consecutive fours in the ninth over. After the break for drinks, both batters continued to attack, with Easwaran scoring fifty. When Chama Milind was able to bounce Sooryavanshi out in the 15th over, the entertaining first stand came to an end.

Easwaran was run out in the 25th over due to a mix-up between the batters, giving South Zone a lucky break after a brief 33-run stand. East Zone lost Sudip Kumar Gharami just four overs into the session, returning to 133 for 2 after lunch. Before Ishan Kishan and Shikhar Mohan combined for a 94-run partnership, the game was evenly poised. Mohan reached 52 overs after hitting sixes and two fours off Vijay in the 35th over. He then hit two sixes off Shreyas Gopal in the 48th over, but after hopping on in the 53rd over, he missed out on a century by 15 runs.

East Zone did not provide them with a similar opportunity in the final session, despite the fact that South Zone had been able to fight back toward the end of the first two sessions. As the South Zone bowlers began to tire with each passing over, Kishan and Kumar Kushagra dominated and shared an unbeaten 144-run partnership. Both batters appeared extremely solid and at ease at the plate, despite occasional turn. Before Stumps were drawn two overs later, Kishan scored a boundary off Gopal in the 77th over to reach his century.