Ishan Kishan's historic 270 puts East Zone on brink of Duleep Trophy glory

Ishan Kishan scripts history with mammoth 270

Ishan Kishan has scripted history in the Duleep Trophy final, becoming only the fifth batter ever to hit a double century in the showpiece match. His mammoth 270 lit up the contest and powered East Zone to a giant pile-up of 708 against South Zone, leaving East on the brink of a famous title triumph.

The left-hander's epic knock was a statement of pure red-ball intent. With growing chatter that Kishan is knocking on India's door with a compelling Test case, the innings could hardly have come at a better time.

“Not overthinking, not keeping expectations,” Kishan said of the mindset behind the epic 270.

South Zone, for their part, stumbled to 242/6 at stumps on day three, trailing by a daunting 466. Mohammed Shami turned the screw with the ball, and alongside Mukesh Kumar helped East take complete control — by Day 4 the lead had swelled to a commanding 584 runs.

Teen prodigy shines, and a snub stings

Amid the drama, 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi showcased a sharp cricket brain, plotting two big wickets in the final, prompting an ex-India cricketer to urge the youngster: “Learn from Ishan Kishan.”

There was a sour note too. Karun Nair took a subtle dig at South Zone after being overlooked for the final, describing his omission as “inexplicable” — a strike in an increasingly heated selection debate.