East Zone take monumental 584-run lead at stumps on Day 4 (PTI Photo)
The Duleep Trophy final moved closer to its inevitable conclusion on Wednesday, with East Zone ending Day 4 in a commanding position after stretching their overall lead to 584 runs with five wickets still in hand. South Zone endured a difficult day after being bowled out for 336 in their first innings, leaving them 372 runs behind East Zone’s mammoth first-innings total of 708. East Zone then added another 212 for five in their second innings before stumps, leaving South with an enormous task on the final day. South Zone resumed Day 4 at 242 for six, with captain Tilak Varma unbeaten on 56 and looking to rescue his side from a difficult position. Tilak produced a determined 99 off 211 balls, helping South cross the 300-run mark before eventually falling one run short of a century. South were eventually dismissed for 336, leaving East Zone with a huge 372-run first-innings advantage. Ishan Kishan once again underlined his red-ball credentials, following his spectacular 270 in the first innings with a fluent 80 in East Zone’s second essay. Kishan remained in attacking mode and went after Vijay again towards the end of his stay, smashing him for 4, 6, 6 and 4 in four successive deliveries. Kishan added 146 runs for the third wicket with Shikhar Mohan before his innings finally came to an end. Siraj had struggled for rhythm and pace in recent outings, but his bowling on Day 4 showed increased nip, accuracy and better lengths.
The Hyderabad batter stuck to his defence-first approach as wickets continued to fall around him. He finally attempted to attack off-spinner Kounain Quraishi but ended up returning a catch to the bowler. His knock was still one of the few positives for South, although Tilak will rue missing out on a second consecutive hundred after scoring a century in the semifinal last week. The left-hander was aggressive from the outset, beginning his innings with a six off Tripurana Vijay over mid-wicket. He also survived a major scare when DRS overturned an on-field leg-before decision after Shreyas Gopal’s appeal. He attempted to loft pacer MD Nidheesh but picked out Devdutt Padikkal inside the leg-side circle. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines One of the brighter moments for South Zone came from Mohammed Siraj , who appeared to rediscover some of his familiar sharpness with the ball. He eventually picked up the wicket of East Zone opener Abhimanyu Easwaran, who guided one tamely towards Padikkal at slip. However, Siraj’s spell was not enough to alter the direction of the final, with East Zone continuing to pile on the pressure. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.