Chennai: East Zone lifted the Duleep Trophy title after ending a 13-year wait, as they dominantly outclassed South Zone throughout the match. The match ended in a draw, with East Zone winning the trophy on the basis of a solid 372-run first-innings lead. Md Kounain Quraishi’s brilliant unbeaten century was the standout highlight of the final day on Thursday, September 10, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
East Zone resumed the final day with their overnight second-innings score of 212/5, with Quraishi’s superb maiden first-class unbeaten century taking centre stage. He scored a brilliant 116 off 190 balls, anchoring the innings and guiding East Zone forward, while finding excellent support from Anukul Roy, who played a fluent 64 off 112 balls. The pair helped East Zone reach 338/7, stretching their dominant overall lead to 760 runs before the declaration and ultimately clinching the title.
Final day, Day 5, resumed with East Zone’s Kumar Kushagra (34 off 55) and Quraishi (26 off 30) unbeaten at the crease. The pair extended their overnight partnership to 78 runs off 121 balls for the sixth wicket before Chama Milind provided the first breakthrough of the day, dismissing Kushagra for a composed 46 off 75 balls. Anukul Roy joined Quraishi at the crease, and the pair went on to stitch together a solid 150-run partnership off 237 balls for the seventh wicket. Mohammed Kounain Quraishi played a superb innings with great composure, bringing up his maiden first-class century off 178 balls. The Jharkhand all-rounder, playing only his second match after making his first-class debut during the tournament, remained unbeaten on 116 off 190 balls, including 13 fours and four sixes. Alongside him, Anukul Roy played through discomfort as he battled a finger injury but still produced a fluent and valuable innings. He brought up a well-made half-century and scored 64 off 112 balls, including four fours and two sixes, before Nidheesh dismissed him, with Devdutt Padikkal completing a superb catch at slip. Though the South Zone bowlers once again struggled and were unable to make a significant impact, Shami came out to bat and, after facing just two balls, East Zone captain Ishan Kishan declared the innings before tea at 338/7, taking the overall lead to a mammoth 708 runs. With the match ending in a draw, East Zone achieved a memorable triumph and lifted the Duleep Trophy on the basis of their commanding 372-run first-innings lead. East Zone secured their third Duleep Trophy title after ending their long wait. They had previously won the title in 2011-12 and again in 2012-13, making this triumph a memorable return to the top after 13 years.
East Zone captain Ishan Kishan was incredibly magnificent throughout the final, scoring a sensational 270 off 334 balls in the first innings before producing another outstanding 80 off 98 balls in the second innings. With such explosive performances, he was deservedly named the Player of the Match. Meanwhile, South Zone’s skipper was deservedly named the Player of the Tournament for his remarkable consistency and outstanding contribution, playing a pivotal role in carrying the South Zone batting lineup throughout the tournament.
