East Zone ended a 14-year title drought by lifting the Duleep Trophy, with the squad representing eastern Indian cricket associations.
Captain Ishan Kishan guided East Zone to victory over South Zone in the final. Although the match finished in a draw, the eastern franchise were crowned champions on account of their first-innings lead.
Kishan was instrumental with the bat, compiling a commanding 270 in the first innings and adding 80 in the second to secure the championship.
In a post-victory interview with MyKhel, selector Manish Wardhan, a former first-class cricketer from Dhanbad, revealed that the captaincy decision followed extended deliberation.
“We had extensive discussions before appointing Ishan Kishan as captain. Elevating Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to vice-captain also proved successful, as he performed admirably. Vaibhav is the next generation of Indian cricket, and we wanted to give him greater responsibility.”
Ishan Kishan Emerges as India’s Next Test Captain Prospect
Wardhan commended Kishan’s leadership and batting throughout the tournament, highlighting his ability to adapt and make instinctive decisions. The selector believes Kishan is ready to captain India in Test cricket.
“Ishan Kishan has matured significantly across formats. His comeback has been outstanding, and I am confident he can represent India in red-ball cricket. He also has the potential to captain the Indian Test team. His ability to extract the best from his players demonstrates top-level captaincy.”
Mohammed Kounain Quraishi’s Late Inclusion
Questions were raised regarding Quraishi’s sudden addition to the squad for the semi-finals. Wardhan explained the selection was necessitated by Shahbaz Ahmed’s injury after the quarter-finals.
“Shahbaz’s injury left us short of options. We needed an off-spinner for the semis given Central Zone’s left-handed batters, so we unanimously selected Kounain, who has been part of India emerging sides and performed well in the Jharkhand T20 tournament. It was great to see him contribute to the team’s success.”
