East Zone end 14-year wait, win Duleep Trophy for third time

CHENNAI: Fourteen years is a long wait. But when East Zone finally got their hands on the Duleep Trophy at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, it felt less like a finish line and more like the culmination of a journey.The final, after all, had effectively been decided in the first two days. East piled up a staggering 708, South Zone were bowled out for 336 and a 372-run first-innings lead left little room for a comeback.East eventually declared at 388-7, sealing their third title as the final ended in a draw. Their previous triumph, in 2012-13, had also come at Chepauk.Skipper Ishan Kishan ensured East’s return to the top was memorable, smashing 270 in the first innings and 80 in the second, a combined 350 runs, the most by a batter in a Duleep final.“To be honest, it’s more about being one unit. We won this title as a group. Everyone was taking care of each other,” Kishan said after the match.There was plenty of promise beneath the experience. Teenager Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the side’s vice-captain, had scored 92 in the semifinal while Kumar Kushagra hit a century in the final.Shikhar Mohan marked his Duleep Trophy debut with two fifties in the penultimate game. And then came Kounain Quraishi. In only his second firstclass game, the Shahbaz Ahmed replacement remained unbeaten on 116 on Day Five.Brief scores: East Zone 708 all out & 388-7 decl. (Quraishi 116*, Anukul 64). South Zone 336 all out.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.