Captain Ishan Kishan (111 not out, 135b, 14×4, 1×6) led the way with a ton as East Zone made hay in the bright sun at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday, putting it in a strong position at the end of the first day of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against South Zone.

Coming into the match, both captains expressed an expectation that the pitch was likely to favour the batters initially, and their hunch proved correct as there was little lateral movement.

Kishan opted to bat first, giving openers Abhimanyu Easwaran (72, 86b, 10×4, 1×6) and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (44, 37b, 5×4, 1×6) full use of the helpful conditions in the first session. With a lively crowd (including Indian chief selector Ajit Agarkar) watching on, the pair peeled off a century stand from just 89 balls inside the first session.

Their methods were perhaps in contrast to expectations. Sooryavanshi reined in his swashbuckling approach a touch, opting to mostly punch the ball in lieu of full-blooded swings, though he did dump Mohammed Siraj for a series of boundaries past the sidescreen.

Easwaran – generally the more conservative of the pair – was proactive. He was aggressive to off-spinner Tripurana Vijay early on, using his feet to cart him straight for six, and dealt with Siraj’s spell of short balls by using the pull shot. He quickly moved past his younger colleague, and raised a half-century from just 46 balls.

Siraj, one of two India internationals returning to the South Zone team along with Devdutt Padikkal, struggled for rhythm. His opening spell cost 41 runs from five overs, and he was not helped by South Zone’s confused field placements for Sooryavanshi – there were five fielders on the boundary in the first hour.

South Zone managed to claw its way back into the contest with a pair of wickets towards the end of the session. Sooryavanshi was the first to go, falling into CV Milind’s short-ball trap, before Easwaran was left stranded after a calamitous mix-up.

Vijay induced Sudip Gharami to chip to mid-on soon after Lunch, but Shikhar Mohan – brought in to replace Virat Singh – dominated, ticking along initially before switching gears with a hat-trick of boundaries against Vijay.

HIGHLIGHTS – DULEEP TROPHY FINAL DAY 1

The Jharkhand opener reached his fifty from 61 balls, then unfurled his full repertoire of shots. Shreyas Gopal was hit for back-to-back sixes over cover and midwicket, while Vijay was similarly manoeuvred both sides of the wicket.

Struggling for inroads, South Zone turned to short-ball theory, and it made an impact as Mohan fell 15 shy of a ton after he inside-edged Milind’s bouncer back onto his stumps just before Tea.

The bouncer barrage continued after the break, but Kishan and Kumar Kushagra (63, 75b, 4×4, 5×6) were largely content to simply weather the storm. The visiting skipper eventually completed a patient half-century from 71 balls before cutting loose.

As time ran out in the day, some calamitous fielding pushed Kishan through into the nineties before he completed his ton from 122 balls with a four down the ground.

Kushagra marked his quality early on with a commanding hook off Siraj, and retained his control through the innings. He showed particular relish in advancing down the wicket to hit Vijay over long-on, and became the fourth batter to reach fifty by working Gopal to the off-side.

The pair went through the final session undefeated, adding 144 to leave East Zone on course for an imposing total.

Published on Sep 06, 2026