CHENNAI, SEPTEMBER 8: Ishan Kishan produced a magnificent 270 to steer East Zone to a mammoth 708 against South Zone on the second day of the Duleep Trophy final here on Monday.
Kishan, who batted for 522 minutes and faced 334 balls, dominated the South Zone attack in humid conditions and underlined his red-ball credentials in the presence of three national selectors.
Kumar Kushagra provided excellent support with a fluent 101 off 132 balls, his sixth first-class century, as East Zone piled on the runs before being bowled out in the closing stages of the day.
South Zone will begin its reply on Wednesday after claiming the final East Zone wicket in the last few minutes of play.
Kishan’s innings fell short of the Duleep Trophy’s triple-century club, which includes Raman Lamba and Gagan Khoda. Nevertheless, his knock was marked by aggressive strokeplay, patience and calculated acceleration.
The left-hander reached his first century in 122 balls on the opening day and took 148 balls to bring up his second hundred as he deliberately slowed down to tire the bowlers and build a commanding total.
Kishan completed his second first-class double century in 270 balls by hitting part-time spinner Devdutt Padikkal through the covers. He then accelerated sharply, racing from 200 to 250 in just 31 balls.
Spinners Shreyas Gopal and Tripurana Vijay came under severe attack, with Kishan hitting two sixes off each. He scored 94 runs from 100 balls against Shreyas, while Vijay conceded 70 from 88 balls.
Kishan eventually fell for 270, caught by Ravichandran Smaran off Vijay, who finished with figures of 4/180. His innings contained 27 fours and seven sixes.
Earlier, Kishan shared a 230-run partnership with Kushagra for the fifth wicket and added another 140 with Anukul Roy, who scored 40 off 86 balls, further strengthening East Zone’s position.
Kushagra reached his century in 128 balls, hitting eight fours and five sixes, before being dismissed while attempting a pull off Vijay.
South Zone’s bowlers, including premier pacer Mohammed Siraj, struggled to make an impact on a placid pitch as East Zone added 106 runs in the first session and another 135 after lunch.
By the time Kishan was dismissed, East Zone had already established a commanding position, leaving South Zone with a daunting task in the second innings.
