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Ishan Kishan played a captain's knock on Day 1 of the ongoing final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final for East Zone. The middle-order batter remained unbeaten after securing a century in the day's play and will resume batting on Monday (September 7) against South Zone. Soon after Ishan Kishan completed his century, smashing a boundary, his lady love Aditi Hundia shared a heartwarming message through a social media post.
East Zone went to bat first after winning the toss in the final of the tournament. Ishan Kishan's call to bat first looked effective as his team went for a strong start with their openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran. Ishan himself came to bat at No.5 and played confidently throughout the day to claim his debut century in the Duleep Trophy final.
Ishan Kishan's girlfriend shares a heartfelt note
The latest century of the keeper-batter is widely praised among the cricket fans. He took 71 balls to complete the half-century; then, to touch the 100-run mark, Ishan endured a total of 122 deliveries. Following his impressive knock, the captain of the East Zone captain, Aditi, shared an Instagram story with a photo of Ishan Kishan celebrating his Duleep Trophy century.
"A hundred, beautifully earned," Aditi Hundia wrote the line in his Instagram story.
Ishan Kishan remains not out for 111
Keeping the nerves stable, the experienced keeper-batterremainedd firm on the pitch 111 off 135 balls, with the support of 14 fours and a six. Overall, it was Ishan's 10th ton in his first-class career but his first of the competition, which came at a time when his team is in the final lap to claim the marquee domestic trophy.
At the end of Day 1, East Zone was on 385 runs for 4 wickets, with plenty of possibilities to accumulate more runs on the scoreboard. Alongside Ishan, Kumar Kushagra remains not out at the opposite end of the pitch. Ishan Kishan received a significant amount of support for most of his knock from Kumar. Kushagra will resume his batting on Day 2 with 63 runs.
East Zone is in the driving seat to win the Duleep Trophy 2026
On the opening day of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final in Chepauk, East Zone got three half-centuries and one century. Shikhar Mohan was another batter who could have scored a century. After the departure of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Mohan played a crucial role in holding one side of the crease. Shikhar Mohan was dismissed for 85 runs from 120 balls, with nine 9s and three 6s.
For the opening wicket partnership, Aibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran confirmed 100 runs for the team. Sooryavanshi was dismissed for 44 off 37 balls, while Easwaran had to go after 72 off 86 deliveries.
After the quick dismissal of Sudip Gharami, Mohan and Ishan stitched a 94-run partnership off 128 balls, which helped East Zone to endure their top-order batters' dismissals. After Day 1, East Zone's bid for the trophy is looking stronger than South Zone's.
