East Zone captain Ishan Kishan broke a long-standing Duleep Trophy record with his heroics in the 2026 final against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 270 runs off 344 balls to help his side post a mammoth total of 708 in the first innings. East Zone then bundled out their opponents for 336, taking a massive lead of 372 runs. Continuing his sensational form, Kishan came up with another impactful knock, scoring 80 off 98 balls.
The overall performance helped the southpaw become the batter with the most runs in a Duleep Trophy match.
Kishan also became the first batter in Duleep Trophy history to score 350 runs in a match. He comfortably surpassed Raman Lamba’s previous record of 320 runs for North Zone against West Zone in Bhilai in October 1987.
That is the only thing that helps you in your career,” Kishan said at the post-day press conference. The East Zone skipper saw his monumental effort in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone as the most visible manifestation of that inner change. “I didn’t actively try to change myself. It just happened naturally. When I was out of the (India) squad, I realised that we ultimately only have one job to do: simply to score runs. “Any other thoughts will only manipulate your mindset, push you into overthinking, and pile on unnecessary pressure. I realised that those extraneous thoughts aren’t necessary. Our job is to step in and win matches for the team.
