Ishan Kishan's unbeaten century puts East Zone in control of Duleep Trophy final

Ishan Kishan led from the front with a superb unbeaten century as East Zone finished Day 1 of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final on 385/4 against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. After winning the toss and opting to bat, Kishan anchored a strong batting display from East Zone, scoring 111 not out off 135 balls. His innings featured 14 fours and two sixes as he took control of the contest in the final session. Kishan found an excellent partner in Kumar Kushagra, who remained unbeaten on 63 off 75 balls. The pair added an unbeaten 144-run partnership for the fifth wicket off 160 balls, completely taking the game away from South Zone towards the end of the day.

East Zone made a solid start through Abhimanyu Easwaran (72) and teenage batter Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (44). Easwaran and Sooryavanshi gave the side a strong platform before both departed. Sudip Kumar Gharami was then dismissed for 6, bringing Shikhar Mohan to the crease. Mohan played a composed knock of 85 off 120 balls, helping East Zone build another important partnership before Chama Milind ended his innings at 241/4. That dismissal brought Kishan and Kushagra together, and the pair ensured there were no further setbacks. Kishan accelerated as the innings progressed and brought up his century in style, remaining unbeaten at the close. His knock was particularly important given his role as captain, with East Zone now firmly in control after the opening day.

South Zone's bowling attack found little assistance from a placid batting surface, while the bowlers also struggled with consistency. Chama Milind was the most successful bowler, finishing the day with figures of 2/56 from 13 overs. Tripurana Vijay picked up one wicket but conceded 114 runs from his 22 overs. Mohammed Siraj, meanwhile, went wicketless despite bowling 14 overs and conceded 96 runs. East Zone also benefited from a late surge, scoring 74 runs without losing a wicket in the final 10 overs. Kishan and Kushagra's partnership allowed them to finish the day strongly at 385/4.

With Kishan unbeaten on 111 and Kushagra on 63, East Zone will resume on Day 2 with an opportunity to push towards a total of 400 and beyond. South Zone, meanwhile, will desperately need early wickets with the second new ball to prevent East Zone from building an even bigger first-innings total.