East Zone’s captain Ishan Kishan celebrates his century on day 1 of the Duleep Trophy final. (PTI Photo)
After Sooryavanshi enthralled in the first hour with a breezy 37-ball 44 taking apart Mohammed Siraj, Kishan, batting at No. 5, struck his 10th firstclass century, remaining unbeaten on 111 off 135 balls (14×4, 1×6), to put his side firmly in command against South Zone. Kishan, who is currently out of India’s red-ball set-up, made the most of the easy batting conditions and tiring South attack on a hot day as East Zone closed at 385-4 in 79 overs. Kishan, who reached his half-century off 71 balls, accelerated after reaching the milestone, bringing up his second fifty in just 51 balls. He completed his century off 122 balls, driving veteran leggie Shreyas Gopal, playing his 100th First-Class match, straight down the ground for a boundary. He was given excellent support by right-hander Kumar Kushagra, who is unbeaten on 63 off 75 balls (4×4, 5×6). The pair stitched an unbeaten 144-run fifth-wicket partnership, leaving East Zone in a commanding position. With East Zone racing to 50 in just 7.5 overs, South skipper Tilak Varma was forced to introduce off-spinner Tripurana Vijay, who extracted sharp turn with his first delivery. South employed a defensive field for the 15-year-old, with five fielders stationed outside the ring on the leg and off sides, which is unusual so early in a five-day game.
CHENNAI: There was a good Sunday crowd at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to watch teen sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi fire. He then took on Siraj, hitting the pacer for a boundary and a six over long-off before dispatching the final ball of the over for another four. They got a glimpse of it, but it was Ishan Kishan who stole the show on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final here on Sunday.