Duleep Trophy Final: East Zone end Day 1 on 385/4 as Ishan Kishan remains unbeaten on 111

Chennai: East Zone captain Ishan Kishan celebrates his century (PTI Photo) Ishan Kishan led from the front with a superb unbeaten century as East Zone wrapped up the first day of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final 385/4 against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.After winning the toss and electing to bat, Kishan anchored a strong batting display from the East Zone, reaching 111 not out from 135 balls. His innings featured 14 fours and two sixes as he took control of the contest in the final over.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 removing the game from the south zone at the end of the day.

Kishan takes charge after Mohan falls

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

The South Zone is struggling for breakthroughs

The South Zone bowling attack found little help from a calm batting surface while the bowlers also struggled with consistency. The most successful bowler was Chama Milind who ended the day with figures of 2/56 from 13 overs. Tripurana Vijay picked up one wicket but conceded 114 runs from his 22 overs.Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj went wicketless despite 14 overs conceding 96 runs. East Zone also benefited from a late surge and scored 74 runs without losing a wicket in the last 10 overs. Kishan and Kushagra’s partnership saw them finish the day strong at 385/4.With Kishan unbeaten on 111 and Kushagra on 63, East Zone will continue on Day 2 with an opportunity to reach a total of 400 and more. 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.