Ishan Kishan’s East Zone on the brink of Duleep Trophy triumph as lead swells to 584 runs on Day 4

East Zone take monumental lead of 584 runs on stumps on Day 4 (PTI Photo) The final of the Duleep Trophy moved to an inevitable conclusion on Wednesday, with East Zone ending Day 4 on top after stretching their total lead to 584 runs with five wickets still in hand. South Zone endured a tough 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 in front of stumps, leaving the South with a mammoth task on the final day.

Tilak fell a century short as South made 336

South Zone resumed on Day 4 at 242 for six with skipper Tilak Varma not out on 56 trying to rescue his team from a difficult position. Tilak produced a determined 99 off 211 balls to help South cross the 300-run mark before eventually falling one run short of a century.The Hyderabad batsman stuck to his defense as wickets continued to fall around him. He ended up trying to attack the off-spinner Kounain Quraishi but ended up giving the catch back to the bowler.His knock was still one of the few positives for South, although Tilak will rue losing a second straight set after scoring a century in the semi-final last week.South were eventually dismissed for 336, leaving East Zone with a huge advantage of 372 runs in the first innings.

Kishan continues to dominate the red ball

Ishan Kishan again underlined his red-ball credit as he made a brilliant first-innings 270 in East Zone’s second essay, scoring a fluent 80. The left-hander was aggressive from the start, starting his innings with a six off Tripurana Vijay over mid-wicket.Staying in attacking mode, Kishan went after Vijay again towards the end of his stay, smashing him for 4, 6, 6 and 4 in four consecutive deliveries. He also survived a major scare when the on-field decision was overturned by DRS following Shreyas Gopal’s appeal.Kishan added 146 runs for the third wicket with Shikhar Mohan before his innings ended for good. Tried to lift MD Nidheesh but was caught by Devdutt Padikkal in the leg side circle.

Siraj finds his rhythm again

One of the bright moments for South Zone came from Mohammed Siraj, who seemed to rediscover some of his familiar brilliance with the ball. Siraj has struggled with rhythm and pace in recent matches but his bowling on Day 4 showed increased nip, accuracy and better lengths.He ended up picking 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 turn the tide of the final, with the East Zone continuing to pile on the pressure.