The Duleep Trophy 2026-27 final saw East Zone taking on South Zone. The two sides met at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai for the clash; the clash began with East Zone coming in to bat first, and the side posted a mammoth total of 708 runs in the first innings.
Several performances stood out in the first innings, with that of Ishan Kishan making the biggest impact. It is worth noting that, leading from the front, East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan put forth a magnificent performance with the bat. Scoring 270 runs to his name, Kishan helped East Zone post the massive total on the board.
Witnessing his performance, former India cricketer Aakash Chopra took centre stage and talked about the performance that Ishan Kishan put in. He opened up on how Kishan has been consistent for quite some time now.
"Since he returned, he has been scoring runs. He is playing red-ball cricket as well with as much heart and passion. He is playing with commitment and patience. The methods to score runs in this cricket are slightly different, but he is not taking it lightly. There was a season in Ishan Kishan's life when it seemed like he had gone adrift, when he was saying that he didn't want to play this or that and that he didn't like sitting out," Chopra said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Aakash Chopra reflected on East Zone virtually winning the game
Furthermore, the former India batter talked about how Ishan Kishan’s 270-run knock and East Zone scoring 708 runs in the first innings have virtually sealed the game in favour of East Zone, and the game is theirs to lose now.
"Ishan Kishan has taken them to the cleaners. Scoring 270 runs in the Duleep Trophy final and the team going past 700, you would say the game is as good as over because this match will be decided on the first-innings lead only. South is in dire straits," he said.
Having posted 708 runs in the first innings, East Zone reduced South Zone to 189-5 after 61 overs, with South Zone looking for ways to come back in the game.
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