Chennai: Ishan Kishan’s superb unbeaten century led an excellent batting display by East Zone as they ended the day in a commanding position at 385/4 against South Zone on Day 1, Sunday, 6th September, in the final of the Duleep Trophy at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Opting to bat first, East Zone made a flying start as Abhimanyu Easwaran (72 off 86 balls) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (44 off 37 balls) stitched together a century partnership, putting early pressure on the South Zone bowling attack. Ishan Kishan then took complete control with a brilliant unbeaten century, scoring 111 off 135 balls, with important support from Shikhar Mohan (85 off 120) and Kumar Kushagra (63* off 75). Kishan and Kushagra then forged a stunning unbeaten 144-run partnership to steer East Zone to a commanding 385/4 at the end of the day after 79 overs. South Zone’s bowling attack struggled to make an impact throughout the day, with Chama Milind emerging as their standout bowler with figures of 2/56.
The Duleep Trophy final began with East Zone winning the toss and opting to bat first. The decision proved effective as they made an impressive start, laying a strong foundation through the opening pair of Abhimanyu Easwaran and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who launched a 100-run partnership off just 89 balls. Sooryavanshi (44 off 37) was eventually dismissed by Chama Milind, narrowly missing his half-century. Easwaran looked firmly set for a big score, but a run-out brought an end to his fluent innings of 72 off 86 balls. East Zone went into lunch at 133/2. After lunch, Sudip Kumar Gharami was dismissed soon after scoring 6, bringing Ishan Kishan to the crease alongside Shikhar Mohan. The duo then put together a crucial 94-run partnership off 129 balls for the fourth wicket. Mohan brought up his half-century and looked well set to push on towards a hundred, but his composed innings of 85 off 120 balls came to an end when Chama Milind dismissed him, as East Zone reached 241/4 at tea. But in the final session, Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra completely took commanding control of the innings, ensuring there were no further losses as they stitched together a stunning unbeaten 144-run partnership off 162 balls. Kishan batted with attacking intent, accelerating the innings after bringing up his half-century before launching a brilliant century. He remained unbeaten on 111 off 135 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes, completing his 10th first-class century. Kishan received excellent support from Kumar Kushagra, who remained unbeaten on a solid 63 off 75 balls. Their stunning unbeaten partnership helped East Zone finish the day in a commanding position at 385/4 after 79 overs.
The South Zone bowling attack struggled for consistency throughout the day, failing to make crucial breakthroughs at the right moments. Chama Milind was the most successful bowler, finishing with figures of 2/56 from 13 overs, while Tripurana Vijay picked up one wicket. Mohammed Siraj went wicketless, conceding 96 runs from his 14 overs. For Day 2, East Zone will look to carry their strong momentum forward and build an even bigger first-innings total, while South Zone will be eager to bounce back from the setback by making early breakthroughs and dismissing East Zone as quickly as possible.
