Duleep Trophy 2026: East Zone vs South Zone Highlights & Review – Final, Day 1

How did Day 1 went in the Duleep Trophy 2026 Final between East Zone and South Zone?

East Zone finished Day 1 at a score of 385/4 in 79 overs after Ishan Kishan won the toss and opted to bat first. Kishan made just one change to the playing XI which defeated Central Zone in the semi-final. Shikhar Mohan came into the side in place of Virat Singh. On the other hand, Tilak Varma’s South Zone side made four changes from their semi-final win against North Zone, with Devdutt Padikkal, Mohammed Siraj, Tripurana Vijay, and Chama V Milind coming into the playing XI.

East Zone got off to a fantastic start as Abhimanyu Easwaran and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi played aggressive cricket to register a 100-run opening stand in just 14.4 overs. The latter became the first wicket to fall on Day 1 as he was out caught in the deep after miscuing a pull shot against Milind for 44.

Easwaran looked in sublime touch before a misunderstanding with Shikhar Mohan saw him getting run-out for 72. Sudip Gharami didn’t make much of an impact as Tripurana Vijay dismissed him for just six runs. Mohan played brilliantly for his 120-ball 85 before Milind cleaned him up in the 53rd over.

Ishan Kishan joined forces with Kumar Kushagra and the two wicketkeeper-batters stitched an unbeaten 144-run partnership off 160 balls to help their team get into a position of strength. Kishan notched up a remarkable century, finishing unbeaten on 111. Kushagra also contributed with 63 not out.

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Top batting performance — Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan was undoubtedly the best batter on Day 1. He batted with great ease against both pacers and spinners. The Jharkhand captain smashed 111 off just 135 balls and hit 14 fours and one maximum in the process. He finished with a strike rate of 82.22 on the day.

Best bowling spell — Chama V Milind

Chama V Milind didn’t play the last game but was the pick of the bowlers for South Zone on Day 1. The left-arm seamer showed his intelligence by bowling a bouncer to Sooryavanshi and getting the better of the dangerous batter. He followed it up with the wicket of Shikhar Mohan, who was looking well set at the crease. Milind finished with figures of 2/56 in 13 overs.