Kishan century anchors East Zone Duleep Trophy final

East Zone captain Ishan Kishan scored a commanding century on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy 2026 final against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on September 6, 2026. Kishan, batting at number five, reached his hundred in 122 balls, anchoring his team's innings after they elected to bat first. His knock, featuring 14 fours and one six, was a pivotal contribution as East Zone built a strong total on a fresh pitch. The century marked Kishan's second hundred in the Duleep Trophy and his 10th overall in first-class cricket. During his innings, he also completed a significant career milestone, surpassing 4,000 runs in first-class cricket. He achieved this in his 109th innings, maintaining a batting average of 40.00. Kishan's performance was particularly notable as he had not made a significant impact with the bat in the quarterfinal and semifinal stages of the tournament. Kishan's century was part of a collective batting effort by East Zone. He added a 133-run partnership for the fifth wicket with his Jharkhand teammate Kumar Kushagra, who was batting on 56 off 71 balls.