South Zone batter Tilak Varma suffered a heartbreaking dismissal on 99 in the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against East Zone. Varma fell just one run short of a well-deserved century after spinner Md Kounain Quraishi took a sharp return catch, ending South Zone’s first innings at 336 runs on Day 4.
East Zone, led by Ishan Kishan, secured a massive 372-run first-innings lead after they posted 708 earlier in the match. They will have to decide whether to enforce the follow-on. After spending a long time on the field, they may prefer to avoid putting their bowlers straight back into action.
Tilak Varma Falls Short of Century as South Zone Fold for 336
Tilak Varma showed great resilience during his 211-ball knock and tried to keep South Zone’s innings alive. He added 78 runs for the seventh wicket with CV Milind, who scored 43. However, Milind’s dismissal exposed the lower order and the East Zone quickly cleaned up the tail.
Tilak needed just one run to reach his century when he attempted to create room against a tossed-up delivery from Md Kounain Quraishi outside off. He played against the turn, and the bat turned on impact before the ball went straight back to the bowler. Quraishi held on to a sharp return catch to dismiss Tilak for 99.
East Zone finished with a massive first-innings lead. Captain Ishan Kishan was seen discussing the follow-on with the umpires, with East Zone appearing likely to bat again rather than send South Zone back in.
South Zone Fight Back Before East Zone Strike
South Zone resumed on 242/6 on Day 4, with a daunting 466-run deficit against East Zone’s first-innings total of 708. East Zone immediately took the second new ball, with Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar sharing the attack.
However, Tilak Varma and Chama Milind attacked the bowling and kept the scoreboard moving instead of allowing the new ball to put them under pressure. They brought up a 50-run partnership for the seventh wicket in only 58 balls.
The pair added 62 runs without losing a wicket during the morning session, taking South Zone to 304/6. Their resistance finally ended when East Zone found a breakthrough. Milind departed for 43 off 68 balls, including seven fours, with his 78-run partnership with Varma ending at 318.
Milind’s dismissal exposed South Zone’s lower order, which could not stay with Varma for long. Tripurana Vijay was run out for 1 following a mix-up, while Mohammed Siraj was trapped LBW by Mukesh Kumar for the same score.
East Zone’s 708 Puts South Zone Under Massive Pressure
East Zone dominated the opening two days of the Duleep Trophy final and finished their marathon first innings on 708. Ishan Kishan smashed 270 runs, while Kumar Kushagra scored a century.
Abhimanyu Easwaran scored 72 and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi added 44 in a 100-run opening stand. Shikhar Mohan then made 85 before Kishan and Kushagra took complete control with a 230-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Kushagra fell for 101, but Kishan continued to pile on the runs. He crossed 250 before briefly leaving the field after retiring hurt. The East Zone captain returned later and eventually fell for 270, while Anukul Roy, Md Kounain Quraishi and Mohammed Shami added useful runs to push the total beyond 700.
Tripurana Vijay finished with 4/180 and was their leading wicket-taker, while Shreyas Gopal and Chama Milind claimed two wickets each.
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