Ishan Kishan 270 Lifts East Zone To 708 In Duleep Trophy Final

Ishan Kishan made 270 on the second day of the Duleep Trophy final, carrying East Zone to 708 against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. He had resumed on 111. He batted through the morning, through the afternoon, and off the field and back on again with cramp. South Zone did not bat.

The innings took 334 balls. It contained 30 fours and seven sixes. It is the highest score by a wicketkeeper in the tournament's history. ETV Bharat reported that the previous mark was Naman Ojha's 217, set in 2014.

Kishan from 111 to 270

East Zone began the day on 385 for 4. Kishan added 159 runs to his overnight score without ever looking hurried on a surface offering the bowlers nothing. He reached 250 and then left the field with cramp, before returning to add 20 more. He is also the seventh batter to make a double century in a Duleep Trophy final.

Abhimanyu Easwaran made 72 at the top. Shikhar Mohan made 85. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi contributed 44.

Kushagra and the lower order

Kumar Kushagra made 101, and the stand with his captain was the passage that broke the match open. Mohammed Shami then made 28 from the tail. The lower order added the runs that turned a strong position into an unanswerable one.

South Zone in the field

Tripurana Vijay took four wickets for 180 and was the only South Zone bowler to threaten with any regularity. Chama Milind took two. Mohammed Siraj did not feature among the wicket-takers. He looked short of rhythm on a pitch that gave him nothing off the seam.

Two full days in the field is a heavy start to a five-day final. South Zone now have to bat twice on the same surface, with three days left and a deficit of 708.

The first-innings lead now in play

This is the part that decides the trophy. Duleep Trophy knockout matches that end in a draw are settled on the first-innings lead. Central Zone reached the 2025 final that way. East Zone have all but locked it up already.

South Zone's route is now narrow:

• Pass 708 in their first innings, on a pitch that has already yielded that many
• Or bowl East Zone out cheaply a second time and chase whatever is set
• A draw, on current figures, hands East Zone the title on first innings

Chepauk has a long history of taking spin as a match wears on. That is South Zone's one structural comfort, and they have the spinners to use it. They also have to survive long enough for it to matter.