East Zone reaches Duleep Trophy final after four-wicket win over Central Zone
East Zone chased 159 in the Duleep Trophy semifinal with four wickets and a day to spare.
East Zone reached the Duleep Trophy final after chasing 159 against Central Zone with four wickets in hand on Tuesday. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi scored 40 and captain Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 39 as East completed the target with a day to spare. The victory came inside three days for the second successive match after East had beaten Northeast in the quarterfinal.
Mukesh and Shami bowled Central Zone out for 158 on the third morning. East lost early wickets in the chase before Sooryavanshi and Kishan steadied the innings. Kishan guided the lower order to the target in less than two sessions.
South Zone also reached the final after beating North Zone by seven wickets in the other semifinal. The title clash between East and South will begin on Thursday.
CricHubb Take
East and South meet on Thursday, but the bigger question is whether Kishan hands Sooryavanshi the opening slot in the final or keeps him lower, where his impact has already been felt.