Chennai, Sept 6: Captain Ishan Kishan struck an unbeaten century as East Zone asserted their dominance on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final, reaching 385 for four against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday.
Kishan was unbeaten on 111 at stumps, having played the anchor’s role after East Zone made a brisk start. Kumar Kushagra provided valuable support and was unbeaten on 63 as East Zone finished the day firmly in control on a placid batting surface.
The day began with an entertaining 100-run opening stand, with teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi providing the early fireworks. The 44 off 37 balls showcased the youngster’s aggressive approach as he took on South Zone’s experienced bowling attack.
Sooryavanshi broke free in the fifth over by hitting MD Nidheesh for two boundaries before turning his attention to Mohammed Siraj in the following over. He slashed one through point for four before lofting the next delivery over long-off for six and finishing the over with another boundary over mid-off.
Siraj struggled to contain the East Zone batters throughout the day, conceding nearly seven runs per over from his 14 overs.
Abhimanyu Easwaran also adopted an attacking approach, striking Siraj for consecutive boundaries in the ninth over before launching Tripurana Vijay for six in the next. He brought up his half-century shortly after the first drinks break as East Zone’s openers kept South Zone under pressure.
The opening partnership finally ended in the 15th over when Chama Milind dismissed Sooryavanshi, giving South Zone their first breakthrough.
Easwaran and his next partner added 33 runs before a mix-up between the batters resulted in Easwaran’s run-out in the 25th over.
East Zone resumed after lunch at 133 for two but suffered another setback four overs into the session when Sudip Kumar Gharami was dismissed.
South Zone appeared to have regained some control at that stage, but Kishan and Shikhar Mohan quickly shifted the momentum back in East Zone’s favour.
The pair added 94 runs for the next wicket, with Mohan playing an aggressive supporting role to his captain. He smashed a six and two fours off Vijay in the 35th over before bringing up his half-century two overs later.
Mohan continued to attack and struck two sixes off Shreyas Gopal in the 48th over, but his entertaining innings ended at 85 in the 53rd over when he chopped the ball onto his stumps.
Kishan, however, remained composed and carried his bat through to the close, completing a well-deserved century and putting East Zone in a commanding position ahead of the second day’s play.
South Zone had been boosted by the return of Test stars for the final, but their bowling attack struggled to make sustained inroads on a surface that offered little assistance.
With Kishan unbeaten on 111 and Kushagra providing strong support at the other end, East Zone will look to build on their imposing first-day total and put further pressure on South Zone when play resumes.
