East Zone reached 133/2 at lunch on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday. East Zone, led by Ishan Kishan, elected to bat first after winning the toss, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran opening the innings.
The morning session belonged largely to the East Zone openers, who put South Zone under pressure with an attacking start. Sooryavanshi continued his impressive run in the tournament before falling for 44 off 37 balls. His innings included five fours and one six.
Sooryavanshi misses out on another half-century
The 15-year-old batter once again showed his aggressive approach in red-ball cricket. Sooryavanshi had already made headlines in the semifinal against Central Zone, scoring 92 off 81 balls in the first innings and 40 in the second.
His 92 also made him the youngest batter to score a fifty in Duleep Trophy history.
Against South Zone, however, he could not convert his fast start into another major score. His dismissal left East Zone with two wickets down before the lunch interval.
Easwaran scores 72
Abhimanyu Easwaran provided the other major contribution at the top of the order. The experienced opener scored 72 before being dismissed, giving East Zone a strong platform in the first session.
Easwaran's innings was particularly important after the opening pair had established a century partnership. The combination of his controlled batting and Sooryavanshi's attacking strokeplay helped East Zone maintain a healthy scoring rate.
Shami reaches 100 first-class matches
The final is also a landmark occasion for Mohammed Shami, who is making his 100th first-class appearance for East Zone.
The veteran fast bowler entered the match with 99 first-class games and 382 wickets. He had also played an important role in East Zone's semifinal victory over defending champions Central Zone, taking five wickets across the two innings.
Ahead of the milestone, the Cricket Association of Bengal honoured Shami with a special No. 100 jersey signed by former India captain Sourav Ganguly, along with a signed cricket ball and silver plaque. Shami also cut a cake to mark the occasion.
East Zone eye strong first innings
East Zone's place in the final came after a four-wicket victory over Central Zone in the semifinal. South Zone, meanwhile, defeated North Zone by seven wickets to book their place in the title clash.
The final is being played over five days in Chennai, with both teams looking to finish the domestic first-class tournament with the Duleep Trophy title.
For East Zone, the early contributions from Sooryavanshi and Easwaran have provided a solid start, while the middle order will now be tasked with converting that platform into a substantial first-innings total.
South Zone will look to make early inroads after lunch, with the likes of Mohammed Siraj leading their bowling attack and captain Tilak Varma overseeing the side. The final also provides an opportunity for several players to strengthen their claims for future India A selection.
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