East Zone end 14-year wait to win Duleep Trophy for third time behind Ishan Kishan's leadership

East Zone end the long wait

East Zone ended a 14-year wait to win the Duleep Trophy for the third time, and TOI's analysis credited Ishan Kishan's leadership, bonding and youthful fearlessness for how the side finally ended an “exile-like” wait for the title.

The rebuild behind the triumph

Central to the story was Kishan himself. Ishank Jaggi — who went from being Kishan's teammate to his coach — has watched closely as the wicketkeeper-batter rebuilt himself, a journey that culminated in East Zone's Duleep Trophy triumph.

Viral moment with Sooryavanshi

The triumph also produced a viral moment, with Kishan's on-field banter with 15-year-old sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi — “Future captain, maybe?” — lighting up social media in a video shared by TOI.

Kuldeep's loud message

Elsewhere on the domestic stage, Kuldeep Yadav sent a loud message to India head coach Gautam Gambhir and the team management with a stunning 10-wicket haul that TOI framed as a statement impossible to ignore.