CHENNAI: On a sweltering afternoon at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Ishan Kishan turned up the heat with a commanding 135-ball 111, steering East Zone to a dominant 385/4 on Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone in front of nearly 10,000 spectators.
Earlier, after opting to bat first on a decent surface, East’s openers weathered two quiet opening overs before 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi sparked the innings to life, unfurling a sumptuous square drive off Mohammed Siraj.
The seasoned Abhimanyu Easwaran joined in shortly after, cleanly flicking through the leg side. What followed was a morning masterclass in stroke play as the pair compiled an exhilarating 100-run opening stand off just 87 deliveries.
Sooryavanshi was lethal through the off side, taking a particular liking to Siraj by scoring 22 runs in the pacer’s opening burst. Easwaran repeatedly exploited the leg-side boundaries, forcing the South attack to constantly shuffle their lines and lengths.
Though South found relief when they removed Sooryavanshi, Jharkhand’s breakout batter Shikhar Mohan coming off a 600-plus run debut Ranji season kept the pressure firmly on.
The left-hander got off the mark with a boundary off his third delivery, combining classical elegance with raw intent. While a mid-pitch mix-up led to Easwaran being run out for a fluent 86-ball 72, Mohan took complete control after lunch.
He capitalised on a wayward South Zone bowling unit that oscillated between overpitched half-volleys and toothless short balls.
Alongside his skipper Kishan, Mohan dictated terms. He took the attack to off-spinner Vijay, clearing the ropes down the ground, following it with a straight four, and drilling another boundary through extra cover to raise his half-century off just 61 deliveries.
“I think Ishan bhaiya was guiding me really well while batting,” Mohan said after stumps. “He was pointing out which shots were viable on this pitch and which ones weren't. Based on that, our partnership went really well.”
“If the ball was in my zone, I had already decided to go for it,” Mohan added. “Ishan bhaiya was mainly guiding me on which options to avoid on this surface. For instance, he told me not to play the sweep shot; I tried one sweep, had a close call, and didn't play it again after that.”
Mohan then launched Shreyas Gopal for two massive maximums. However, just as a debut century beckoned, he chopped a delivery back onto his stumps, departing for a fine 85 off 120 balls to end a sparkling 94-run stand.
Kumar Kushagra then joined Kishan, and the two Jharkhand keepers systematically drained the fight out of South Zone. While Kushagra settled in, Kishan tore into the bowling attack after tea, bringing up his fifty off 71 deliveries with absolute authority.
Kushagra soon began finding the boundary with regular ease, tonking Vijay for the biggest six of the day. He collected 29 runs off just 19 balls against the off-spinner, anchoring an effortless century stand, off 104 balls.
Kishan capped off an imperious day by reaching his tenth first-class hundred and arguably one of his most significant punching Gopal down the ground to ensure East Zone closed the opening day firmly in the driver's seat.
East Zone 385/4 in 79 overs (Ishan Kishan 111*, Shikhar Mohan 85, Abhimanyu Easwaran 72; Chama Milind 2/56) vs South Zone and Stumps on Day 1.