Chennai, Sept 7: East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan produced a monumental 270 to put his side in a commanding position against South Zone in the Duleep Trophy final, as the team posted a mammoth 708 before being bowled out on the second day here.
Kishan’s marathon knock, complemented by a century from Kumar Kushagra, enabled East Zone to cross the 700-run mark at Chepauk for only the third time in first-class cricket, leaving South Zone’s bowlers facing a daunting task.
Resuming their innings at 385 for four, East Zone continued to pile on the runs from the outset. South Zone took the new ball after just one over but Mohammad Siraj and MD Nidheesh were unable to provide the breakthrough.
Kishan immediately found his rhythm, striking successive boundaries off Siraj before targeting Nidheesh as well. Kushagra soon joined the assault as the pair kept the scoreboard moving despite South Zone introducing spinners Tripurana Vijay and Shreyas Gopal.
Kushagra moved into the 90s with a couple of boundaries off Gopal before completing his sixth first-class century. He was eventually dismissed for 101, finding the fielder at fine leg shortly before lunch.
The dismissal did little to halt Kishan’s charge. The left-hander continued to manipulate the field effectively and attacked the bowling, smashing three boundaries in a single over from Gopal.
South Zone tried to disrupt Kishan’s rhythm by turning to part-time options Devdutt Padikkal and Shaikh Rasheed, but the move failed to yield results.
Kishan eventually brought up his double century off 270 balls, continuing to score freely as East Zone marched past 600. With the opposition struggling to contain the left-hander, South Zone appeared to be waiting for a declaration.
Kishan, however, showed no inclination to stop. He accelerated further and raced to 250, but fatigue eventually forced the skipper to retire temporarily.
The runs continued to flow in his absence, with Mohammed Shami scoring 28 before his dismissal brought Kishan back to the crease as he sought an elusive triple century.
The landmark, however, remained out of reach. With wickets falling at the other end, Kishan eventually found the fielder near long-on to depart for 270, ending an extraordinary innings 30 runs short of a triple century.
Kishan’s innings, along with Kushagra’s 101 and Shikhar Mohan’s 85, propelled East Zone to 708 before the innings ended.
With South Zone’s bowlers having spent a long period in the field and East Zone having posted a huge first-innings total, the eastern side are now firmly in control of the contest and have put themselves in a strong position to claim the Duleep Trophy.
Brief scores: East Zone 708 (Ishan Kishan 270, Kumar Kushagra 101, Shikhar Mohan 85; Tripurana Vijay 4-180) vs South Zone.
