Not a single run was scored in the final 17 balls of the opening session of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final.
Having gotten off to a blazing start, East Zone had lost openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran one after the other, and Mohammed Siraj, fresh off representing India in Test cricket, was set to begin the second session. The pressure was building.
That might faze some people, but not Shikhar Mohan. The 21-year-old Jharkhand batter responded with a crisp on-drive that flew away to the rope.
It was a sign of the class that punctuated his impressive 85 from 120 balls on Sunday. His partnership of 94 with skipper Ishan Kishan has put East Zone in a strong position at the close of play.
“Ishan bhaiya was giving me a lot of advice while batting,” Mohan said of the partnership after the match. “He was telling me what shot is on and what is not. Thanks to that, we had a great partnership.”
READ | East Zone on course for imposing first-innings total against South Zone in Duleep Trophy final
Mohan directly replaced state teammate Virat Singh and came into the playing XI for the final, having earned his call-up to the Duleep Trophy on the back of a breakout Ranji Trophy season in which he scored 613 runs at an average of 55.72.
“My journey has been very good so far,” Mohan reflected. ”My first season in Ranji Trophy went very well, so coming into this match, I just wanted to carry that forward. I was looking to maintain that form from the Ranji Trophy.”
Those impressive domestic performances came at the top of the order, but Sunday saw him drop down to the order to number three with some aplomb. “I didn’t face any problem,” he said. “The openers are Abhimanyu bhai and Vaibhav bhai, so obviously there is no space as an opener. My mindset was that wherever I get a chance, I should do well for the team.”
One of the striking features of Mohan’s knock on Sunday was his restraint. In the post-lunch session, the South Zone pacers dragged their lengths back to test him with the short ball, and the 21-year-old showed the maturity not to take the bait for the bulk of his innings.
“They had five fielders on the leg-side. The plan was that I would leave the ball first, and when they get tired, they will give me chances to score runs,” he noted while ruefully noting that his demise came via an inside-edge on a bouncer. “I made a poor decision and got out.”
With the Chennai crowd coming out in strong numbers, Mohan credited his experiences in the Jharkhand Premier League which helped him deal with the pressure, saying, “I think it helped a lot. The crowds there were also very good, so today when there was a big crowd, it felt normal to me.”
Published on Sep 06, 2026
