Ishan Kishan held his nerve with an unbeaten 39 off 41 balls after Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s brisk 40 off 43 as East Zone defeated defending champions Central Zone by four wickets to storm into the Duleep Trophy final on Tuesday.
Chasing 159 for victory, East Zone recovered from a mid-innings wobble to reach the target with four wickets in hand. Kishan anchored the chase with a 41-ball unbeaten 39, while Sooryavanshi provided the early impetus with a 43-ball 40.
Sooryavanshi struck three fours and a six as East made a positive start to the chase, but Central hit back through Harsh Dubey, who claimed two quick wickets to reduce East to 124/5 with 34 runs still required.
Kishan, however, remained composed and guided his side through the tense finish. He found support from Mohammed Shami, who stayed unbeaten on eight, as East completed the chase and booked their place in the final.
The result ended Central Zone’s campaign and sent the defending champions crashing out of the competition.
East bowlers trigger Central’s collapse
The chase became possible after East produced a dominant bowling display on the third day.
Central, who resumed at 45/3, struggled to build partnerships as the East attack continued to chip away at the batting order. Mukesh Kumar led the way with four wickets, while Mohammed Shami claimed three as East Zone tightened their grip on the semifinal.
Abhijit K. Sarkar made the first breakthrough of the day when he dismissed nightwatchman Aryan Pandey. Shami then removed Yash Rathod before Mukesh accounted for Aman Mokhade.
Central slipped to 97/8 before Harsh Dubey and Arshad Khan mounted a brief recovery, adding 43 for the ninth wicket.
Their resistance was eventually broken as Central were bowled out for 158, leaving East with a modest target of 159. The defending champions had earlier scored 266 in their first innings.
Sooryavanshi gives East early momentum
East began the chase positively through Sooryavanshi, who tempered his usual attacking approach initially before opening up later in the innings.
The young batter reached 40 with three fours and a six before Patidar took a superb running catch off Yash Thakur in the 14th over.
Dubey then threatened to turn the contest back in Central’s favour by removing Kumar Kushagra and Anukul Roy in successive deliveries, leaving East at 124/5.
But Kishan stood firm under pressure. Despite the dismissal of Sudip Kumar Gharami, the East skipper ensured there were no further complications as his side crossed the finish line with four wickets remaining.
Rinku’s 60 goes in vain for Central
Central had posted 266 in their first innings, with Rinku Singh top-scoring with a determined 60.
East responded with Sooryavanshi’s 92 and Abhimanyu Easwaran’s 69 to also finish on 266, leaving the teams level after the first innings.
It was East’s bowling attack that ultimately made the difference, restricting Central to 158 in the second innings before Kishan and Sooryavanshi completed the job with the bat.
East Zone will now play in the Duleep Trophy final, while Central Zone’s title defence has come to an end.