In the Duleep Trophy final held in Chennai, East Zone captain Ishan Kishan demonstrated outstanding performance on the field, leading his team in the decisive match against South Zone.
The decision to start batting after the toss proved correct for Kishan. Thanks to strong batting performances, East Zone managed to score an impressive 385 runs, losing only 4 batsmen by the end of the first day of the match.
As captain, Kishan scored numerous magnificent shots. By the end of the playing time, he had amassed 111 runs and remained at the crease. He will have the opportunity to increase his score on the second day of the match.
Before Kishan reached a century, top-order batsmen from East Zone also made significant contributions. Young player Vaibhav Suryavanshi provided an aggressive start for the team, scoring a quick 44 runs. Following this, Abhimanyu Ishwar and Shikhar Mohan took responsibility and scored half-centuries, laying the foundation for a large total.
When maintaining the run-scoring pace was required in the middle order, the pair Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra came onto the field. They formed a partnership at the fifth position that completely demoralized the South Zone bowlers. Kishan initially displayed caution, observing the ball, and after settling in, began aggressively attacking every South Zone bowler.
With his performance, Ishan Kishan once again asserted his ambitions for the Indian national team. He proved his class in red-ball cricket despite being outside the Indian Test squad since 2023. By scoring a century in the final of a major domestic tournament while leading the team, Kishan significantly strengthened his chances of returning to the national team.