East Zone captain Ishan Kishan played a commanding knock in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The 28-year-old arrived at the crease after Sudip Kumar Gharami fell cheaply for six runs, and from the outset he looked in total control of his innings, eventually completing his ton off 122 balls.
Notably, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran once again set the tone for East Zone on Day 1 of the summit clash. The 15-year-old played some blistering shots early on, scoring 44 runs off only 37 balls. His ferocious attack in the initial overs allowed Easwaran to settle down, as the pair added 100 runs for the first wicket.
After Sooryavanshi departed, Easwaran and Shikhar Mohan tried to keep the scoreboard ticking, but the Bengal batter eventually fell for 72 runs. After Sudip was sent back to the pavilion, Shikhar and Ishan stitched a valuable partnership of 94 runs. The Jharkhand batters took South Zone bowlers to the cleaners and that helped East navigate the second session of the day.
Shikhar eventually departed for 85 runs. Since then, Ishan and Kumar Kushagra took over and managed to help East Zone be in the driver’s seat by the end of the day. The pair stitched an unbeaten partnership of 144 runs and will be hoping to add on to that on Day 2. They both managed to keep the strike rate high as well, as East Zone posted 385/4 on the opening day. Ishan remained unbeaten on 111 runs, while Kushagra on 63*.
The India call-up question
With the India goal in mind, Ishan batted at number five in the Duleep Trophy. He is ready to challenge Rishabh Pant for his spot and that’s a healthy sign. Three years ago, the Jharkhand cricketer opted out of the second Test against South Africa, which eventually cost him a BCCI contract. However, he now seems to be focused on red-ball cricket, which is a major positive.
Ishan being in form will also send a message to Pant, who is a vital cog in the Test squad but has also been inconsistent. Recently, Ravichandran Ashwin called him out for the same reason. Thus, if Ishan manages to keep up with it and especially in the Ranji Trophy, he will once again be back in the discussion.
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EZ vs SZ, Duleep Trophy 2026 Final LIVE Score: Kishan smacks century, Kushagra 50 as East in command
