Duleep Trophy Final: Ishan Kishan’s Sensational 270 Powers East Zone to Mammoth 708 Total Against South Zone

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan delivered a masterclass performance on the second day of the Duleep Trophy final, scoring a monumental 270 runs to guide his team to a massive first-innings total of 708 against South Zone. Played in the presence of three national selectors, Kishan's double century significantly strengthened his position in long-format red-ball cricket. Supporting the captain's effort, wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Kushagra also hit a fine century, scoring 101 runs off 132 balls to mark the sixth first-class hundred of his career. Together, Kishan and Kushagra stitched a crucial 230-run partnership for the fifth wicket, putting South Zone on the back foot. Following that stand, Kishan anchored another key partnership of 140 runs for the sixth wicket alongside Anukul Roy, who contributed 40 runs. During his marathon innings, Kishan briefly walked off the field at 250 runs due to exhaustion. However, he returned to the crease following the dismissal of Mohammed Shami to add further runs to the tally. His commanding knock eventually came to an end at 270 when he was caught off the bowling of Tripurana Vijay. It was a tough and disappointing day for the South Zone bowling attack, as they struggled to break partnerships on a demanding pitch. None of the bowlers, including premier pacer Mohammed Siraj, were able to make a significant impact against East Zone's dominant batting lineup.