Chennai, 10 September (H.S.):

East Zone clinched the Duleep Trophy title on Thursday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium after securing a first-innings lead against South Zone. Ending a 13-year wait, East Zone lifted the prestigious trophy for the third time, having previously won the title in the 2012-13 season.

On the final day, East Zone declared their second innings at 388/7. Mohammad Konain Qureshi struck an unbeaten 116 off 190 balls to register his maiden first-class century, while Anukul Roy contributed 64. As soon as the declaration was made, the Ishan Kishan-led East Zone side began celebrating their title triumph.

East Zone had posted a mammoth 708 in their first innings. Captain Ishan Kishan produced a magnificent 270, while Kumar Kushagra scored 101. Kishan also made 80 in the second innings, taking his aggregate for the match to 350 runs.

Emerging players from Jharkhand played a significant role in East Zone’s title-winning campaign. Apart from Kushagra, Shikhar Mohan impressed on his Duleep Trophy debut with an excellent 85, continuing the promising form he had displayed during the previous domestic season. The trio of Kushagra, Shikhar and Kishan provided the backbone of East Zone’s batting effort.

On the final day, Qureshi and Anukul Roy stitched together a 150-run partnership for the seventh wicket. During this period, South Zone were also penalised five runs for maintaining a slow over rate. The decision followed an extended discussion between the match officials and South Zone captain Tilak Varma.

Qureshi reached his maiden first-class century in the 96th over when he took two runs off fast bowler CV Milind towards extra cover. After reaching the landmark, he removed his helmet and raised his arms in celebration, while his teammates applauded him from the balcony. In the following over, he struck two consecutive sixes off Tripurana Vijay, clearing the midwicket and long-on boundaries.

At the other end, Anukul Roy completed his half-century in the 89th over by guiding a delivery from Sheikh Rasheed towards point for a single. His innings, however, came to an end on 64. He attempted a loose shot off MD Nidheesh and was caught at slip by Devdutt Padikkal.

On the second ball of the 100th over, Qureshi played Milind’s delivery towards mid-on. East Zone captain Ishan Kishan then signalled from the pavilion for the declaration. The umpires immediately removed the bails, formally confirming East Zone’s title victory.

Despite the difficult Chepauk pitch and humid conditions, South Zone pacer Mohammed Siraj displayed remarkable fighting spirit. Even with the outcome virtually decided, Siraj continued to bowl and delivered an extended nine-over spell.

Following the declaration, East Zone players ran onto the field to celebrate their triumph. Ishan Kishan and Vaibhav Suryavanshi danced while holding the stumps and waved towards the spectators in celebration of the team’s memorable victory.

Brief Score: East Zone — 708 and 388/7 declared (Mohammad Konain Qureshi 116 not out, Ishan Kishan 80; MD Nidheesh 2/28, CV Milind 1/27) drew with South Zone — 336 (Tilak Varma 99; Mukesh Kumar 3/62). East Zone won the Duleep Trophy on the basis of their first-innings lead.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar