Ishan Kishan held his nerve with an unbeaten 39 as East Zone defeated Central Zone by four wickets to reach the final of the Duleep Trophy on Tuesday.
Chasing 159, East got off to a strong start thanks to Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who smashed 40 off 43 balls. Kishan then took charge of the chase and stayed unbeaten on 39 from 41 balls as East got over the line with four wickets in hand.
Central did make things interesting in the middle overs. Harsh Dubey picked up four wickets and Yash Thakur and Saransh Jain also got among the wickets, leaving East under pressure at 124/5.
But Kishan kept his composure and made sure there was no late twist. He found support from Mohammed Shami, who remained unbeaten on eight, and the duo guided East home.
Earlier in the day, East’s bowlers put Central on the back foot from the very beginning. Central had resumed Day 3 at 45/3, but their innings quickly fell apart. Mukesh Kumar finished with four wickets, while Shami claimed three as East’s attack continued to chip away.
Abhijit K. Sarkar provided the first breakthrough of the day by dismissing nightwatchman Aryan Pandey. Shami then removed Yash Rathod before Mukesh sent back Aman Mokhade.
Central slipped to 97/8 before Harsh Dubey and Arshad Khan offered some resistance. The pair added 43 runs for the ninth wicket, but their stand eventually came to an end. Central were bowled out for 158, leaving East with a target of 159.
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Sooryavanshi started the chase carefully but soon went back to his attacking game. He reached 43 with three fours and a six before Patidar took a superb running catch at mid-on off Yash Thakur.
Harsh Dubey then gave Central another opening by taking two wickets in two balls. Kumar Kushagra and Anukul Roy were dismissed, leaving East at 124/5 and needing another 35 runs.
Kishan, however, refused to panic. Even after Sudip Kumar Gharami was dismissed, he stayed till the end and finished the job for East.
The semifinal had been evenly poised after the first innings. Central scored 266, with Rinku Singh making a fighting 60. East matched that total, with Sooryavanshi scoring 92 and Abhimanyu Easwaran adding 69.
The difference came with the ball in Central’s second innings. East’s bowlers produced a disciplined performance and bowled out the defending champions for 158, setting up a comfortable chase and guiding East Zone into the Duleep Trophy final.