East Zone need just four more wickets to win the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone at Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Ishan Kishan’s career-best 270 and a century from Kumar Kushagra powered East Zone to 708 in their first innings, well ahead of South Zone’s 336 in reply.
South Zone captain Tilak Varma made 99, narrowly missing a century, while Mohammed Shami took 2 for 17 with the ball for the bowling side.
East Zone chose not to enforce the follow-on despite their 372-run lead, batting again and reaching 212 for 5, with Kishan unbeaten on 48.
Playing under the tournament’s first-innings lead rule, East Zone are set to be crowned Duleep Trophy champions once South Zone’s remaining wickets fall.
The Duleep Trophy is contested between India’s domestic cricket zones and is played under first-class conditions, serving as a proving ground for players aiming to break into the national side.
Ishan Kishan’s 270 in East Zone’s first innings is a career-best score and one of the highest individual totals recorded in the tournament’s history.
Kumar Kushagra’s century alongside Kishan’s double-hundred anchored East Zone’s mammoth 708, putting South Zone under pressure from the outset of the match.
The Duleep Trophy final is being played under the tournament’s first-innings lead rule, meaning a draw would hand the title to whichever side leads after the first innings.
South Zone’s reply of 336 featured a fighting 99 from captain Tilak Varma, who fell agonisingly short of a century, and 43 from Chama Milind.
Mohammed Shami’s 2 for 17 was among the most economical bowling spells of South Zone’s attack during East Zone’s first innings.
East Zone’s decision not to enforce the follow-on, despite a 372-run first-innings lead, gave their bowlers additional rest before a potential final push for victory.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the teenage batting prospect who earned a maiden national T20 call-up earlier this year, was among East Zone’s top order in the second innings.
M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
