Kishan's unbeaten 111 puts East Zone in command in Duleep Trophy final
Captain Ishan Kishan led from the front with a fluent unbeaten 111 as East Zone piled up 385 for four against a struggling South Zone on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final here on Sunday.
Kishan, who completed 4,000 first-class runs during his innings, was unbeaten alongside Kumar Kushagra (63) at stumps. The pair had put on 144 runs for the fifth wicket in just 26.4 overs.
Earlier, Abhimanyu Easwaran (72), Shikhar Mohan (85) and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (44 off 37 balls) made significant contributions as East Zone dominated proceedings on a pitch that remained good for batting throughout the day.
Kishan struck 14 fours and a six in his 135-ball knock, combining aggression with composure. He also added 94 runs with Mohan for the fourth wicket after East Zone had slipped to 147 for three, their only period of serious trouble during the innings.
The left-hander brought up his 10th first-class century with a four off Shreyas Gopal, who was playing his 100th first-class match.
Kishan reached his half-century in 71 balls before accelerating, taking only another 51 deliveries to complete his second fifty. His innings was marked by powerful pulls and commanding drives through the covers as he kept the South bowlers under pressure.
Mohan, meanwhile, displayed impressive maturity for a 21-year-old, particularly in his judgement outside the off-stump. He did not offer a single play-and-miss during his stay at the crease.
His innings was not entirely defensive, though, as he attacked off-spinner Tripurana Vijay for a six and two fours in one over.
Mohan was closing in on a century when he chopped left-arm pacer C V Milind onto his stumps. Milind had come into the attack after Vidwath Kaverappa was forced off with an injury.
His dismissal summed up East Zone's innings, with several batters getting out just when they appeared set for bigger scores.
Easwaran, known for his resolute batting, looked assured at the crease and at times even outscored Sooryavanshi. The opening pair brought up 100 runs in just 14 overs and ensured East maintained the early momentum.
Sooryavanshi's dismissal, however, came after he attempted a rash pull against Milind and was caught by substitute fielder Tanay Thayagarajan in the deep.
It was perhaps the first occasion on which South's bowlers had tested the young left-hander with a short delivery, and the tactic produced an immediate result.
The Bihar youngster's dismissal offered a lesson in patience, particularly on a day when nearly 10,000 spectators had gathered at the MA Chidambaram Stadium to watch one of Indian cricket's latest teenage prospects.
Kushagra also looked determined as South's attack struggled to contain the flow of runs.
Nothing illustrated South's difficulties more clearly than the performance of their premier pacer Mohammad Siraj, who endured an ineffective outing.
Siraj bowled three spells of 5-0-41-0, 5-1-24-0 and 4-0-31-0, finishing with figures of 14-1-96-0.
The India quick was hit for a six and four by Sooryavanshi, while Easwaran struck two fours and Kushagra also cleared the boundary once and found it four times.
Siraj could partly attribute his struggles to the flat nature of the pitch, but he was unable to make a significant impact as East's batters dictated terms.
South now face a difficult task on Monday. Unless they can quickly dismiss East Zone's remaining six batters, they risk falling further behind under the weight of a formidable first-innings total.