Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], September 7 (ANI): Ishan Kishan smashed a magnificent double century while Kumar Kushagra struck his maiden Duleep Trophy hundred as East Zone piled on the runs against South Zone on Day 2 of the Duleep Trophy final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Monday.
Despite losing wickets in the final session, East Zone continued to pile on the runs and eventually posted a mammoth 708 all out in 163 overs.
Kishan's monumental 270 off 334 balls, studded with 30 fours and seven sixes, propelled East Zone to a commanding position as they crossed the 700-run mark in their first innings. The East Zone captain initially retired hurt after reaching 250 but returned to the crease later in the day and continued his remarkable innings.
Kishan brought up his maiden double century in the Duleep Trophy off 270 balls. He reached the landmark by hitting Devdutt Padikkal through the covers for a boundary before shifting gears and taking the attack to the South Zone bowlers.
His innings eventually ended when he was caught by Ravichandran Smaran at long-on off spinner Tripurana Vijay, bringing an end to one of the most dominant knocks of the tournament.
Kishan's effort also took him past the 4,000-run mark in first-class cricket.
Earlier, Kishan and Kushagra continued from where they had left off on the opening day. The duo added 230 runs for the fifth wicket, giving East Zone complete control after they had ended Day 1 at 385/4.
Kushagra completed his maiden century in the Duleep Trophy off 128 balls, hitting eight fours and five sixes. He was dismissed soon after reaching three figures, caught in the deep off Vijay after scoring 101 from 132 deliveries.
The fifth-wicket partnership between Kishan and Kushagra was the defining stand of the day, with the pair taking East Zone past 450 before Kushagra's dismissal.
Kishan then continued to dominate alongside Anukul Roy, with East Zone reaching 500 and then 550. The left-hander brought up his double century before eventually retiring hurt at 250, with East Zone on 611/5.
Anukul Roy contributed a useful 45 before falling leg before wicket following a review by South Zone. Mohammed Shami then added 28 before being dismissed by Shreyas Gopal.
Despite losing wickets in the final session, East Zone continued to pile up runs and moved past 700, leaving South Zone's bowlers with a difficult task.
South Zone's attack struggled to contain the East Zone batters. Mohammed Siraj, the team's premier fast bowler, went wicketless and conceded heavily, while Chama Milind and Tripurana Vijay were the most successful bowlers.
Milind claimed two wickets, while Vijay also picked up two wickets but conceded more than 130 runs.
East Zone had made a flying start on Day 1, with Abhimanyu Easwaran scoring 72 and teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi making a quick 44. Shikhar Mohan then added 85 before Kishan took centre stage with an unbeaten 111 at stumps.
With East Zone's batting depth and the huge first-innings total, South Zone face a major challenge when they eventually begin their reply.
The final is being played from September 6 to 10 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. East Zone had won the toss and elected to bat first. (ANI)
Ishan Kishan's 270, Kushagra's ton power East Zone to 708 in Duleep Trophy final against South Zone
