East Zone pacer Mukesh Kumar felt that there was enough on the surface for the quicks to keep the batters honest, provided they had the right tactics.

Despite bowling on a fresh MAC Stadium pitch on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final, the South Zone fast bowlers were inconsistent and resorted to short-pitched stuff without much success.

In contrast, Mukesh and Mohammed Shami attacked the stumps and scalped four of the six wickets to fall on day three.

“I didn’t pitch it too full here. If I had bowled full, it would have invited cover drives and similar shots. So, pulling the length back slightly to back-of-a-length on this red soil [was important]. If you hit the deck hard and put effort into it, the ball kicks. We worked on that,” said Mukesh.

The Bengal speedster also stressed the need to maintain the ball, especially on red-soil pitches where it could get scuffed easily.

“Speaking for myself, the harder I pound the deck and hit the seam, the more the ball will kick, regardless of the wicket. The other part is working on the ball — applying sweat repeatedly, polishing it, and preparing it for reverse swing. We worked on that, and it gave us movement,” he added.

On his plans for Devdutt Padikkal, Mukesh explained: “It was to bowl stump-to-stump because we knew he was coming after scoring two centuries in Sri Lanka. On wickets like this, if you offer width to batters, runs will leak. Our plan as fast bowlers was to stay as consistent as possible and bowl dot balls, letting them take the risks. They would try to force the pace and get out because they need to score runs.”

A disciplined bowling performance and the comfort of a huge first-innings total ensured East Zone tightened its stranglehold over South Zone on day three of the Duleep Trophy final at the MAC Stadium here.

Chasing 709, South needed more than a couple of batters to produce special knocks. Unfortunately, aside from Devdutt Padikkal (62, 104b, 4×4), none of the others showed much inclination to keep the contest alive.

In the final session, skipper Tilak Varma offered some resistance, remaining unbeaten on 56 (133b, 5×4), but it was akin to trying to keep a sinking boat afloat as his side finished on 242 for six, still 466 runs in arrears.

For East, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar took two wickets each. The former showed that he can still make the ball talk through both conventional and reverse swing with short yet incisive spells.

After losing opener Ricky Bhui early — caught down the leg-side off Mukesh Kumar — N. Jagadeesan and Padikkal added 60 runs for the second wicket.

The TN ’keeper-batter, though, threw away his start, slicing an innocuous wide delivery from left-arm spinner Shikhar Mohan to backward point.

Padikkal, fresh from twin centuries in the recently concluded Test series in Sri Lanka, was at his fluent best, cruising to a half-century. The southpaw looked set for another big one, until he flicked a leg-side half-volley from Mukesh down the square-leg fielder’s throat, much to his disbelief.

Shami, in his second spell, attacked the stumps relentlessly and reaped the rewards through his trademark delivery that seamed off the pitch and trapped Shaik Rasheed plumb in front.

The 36-year-old then produced another peach from around the wicket that nipped away just enough to have R. Smaran caught behind, leaving South tottering at 174 for five.

Tilak and Shreyas Gopal then added 66 for the sixth wicket before the latter was dismissed in the final over of the day. With East skipper Ishan Kishan already hinting that his team was not inclined to enforce the follow-on, the next two days could well be about going through the formalities before the coronation.

The scores: East Zone — 1st innings: 708 in 163 overs.

South Zone — 1st innings: Ricky Bhui c Kushagra b Mukesh 1, N. Jagadeesan c Abhimanyu b Shikhar 32, Devdutt Padikkal c sub (Denish) b Mukesh 62, Shaik Rasheed lbw b Shami 27, Tilak Varma (batting) 56, R. Smaran c Kushagra b Shami 23, Shreyas Gopal c & b Quraishi 26, C.V. Milind (batting) 2; Extras (b-8, nb-3, w-2): 13; Total (for six wkts. in 80 overs): 242.

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-70, 3-126, 4-129, 5-174, 6-240.

East Zone bowling: Shami 11-4-17-2, Mukesh 12-1-36-2, Quraishi 31-7-77-1, Abhijit 8-0-34-0, Shikhar 13-0-52-1, Sooryavanshi 4-0-10-0, Kishan 1-0-8-0.

Ishan Kishan led from the front with a sprightly unbeaten 111 (135b, 14×4, 1×6) as East Zone amassed 385 for four against South Zone on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final at the MAC Stadium here on Sunday.

The Jharkhand batter built on the efforts of opener Abhimanyu Easwaran (72, 86b, 10×4, 1×6) and No. 3 Shikhar Mohan (85, 120b, 9×4, 3×6) after opting to bat.

While Kishan headlined the day, it was Vaibhav Sooryavanshi who hogged the limelight.

It is not often that you see packed stands for a domestic game in India. Yet, even before the first ball was bowled, the C, D, and E stands at Chepauk were nearly full in anticipation of seeing the wunderkind. And in the first 90 minutes of the day, the youngster kept the fans on their feet through some elegant strokeplay.

The 15-year-old got on his toes nicely to counter the bounce from the red-soil pitch and punched South Zone pacers Mohammed Siraj and M.D. Nideesh to the off-side fence a few times.

And when Siraj went full, Sooryavanshi had no second thoughts about lofting down the ground for a six and a four. The southpaw eventually holed out on the leg-side trying to pull C.V. Milind for 44.

At the other end, Abhimanyu kept pace with the youngster and did not hold himself back, be it pulling Siraj effortlessly or giving the charge to the spinners.

Post lunch, Shikhar and Kishan combined forces, adding 94 for the fourth wicket, capitalising on a below-par effort from the South bowlers.

Shikhar was largely untroubled, confidently driving Siraj for back-to-back boundaries through the off-side before launching off-spinner T. Vijay for a six and two boundaries off consecutive deliveries.

Kishan kept busy without trying to be aggressive, bringing up his half-century off 71 deliveries. In the final session, he pressed on the accelerator and brought up his century in style, driving Shreyas Gopal down the ground majestically.

Alongside his Jharkhand teammate Kumar Kushagra (63 batting, 75b, 4×4, 5×6), the duo added an unbroken 144 runs for the fifth wicket as East established an early hold on the contest.

The scores: East Zone — 1st innings: Abhimanyu Easwaran run out 72, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi c sub (Tanay) b Milind 44, Shikhar Mohan b Milind 85, Sudip Kumar Gharami c Milind b Vijay 6, Ishan Kishan (batting) 111, Kumar Kushagra (batting) 63; Extras (nb-4): 4; Total (for four wkts. in 79 overs): 385.

Fall of wickets: 1-100, 2-133, 3-147, 4-241.

South Zone bowling: Siraj 14-1-96-0, Nidheesh 10-2-39-0, Vijay 22-3-114-1, Milind 13-1-56-2, Shreyas 19-3-77-0, Rasheed 1-0-3-0.

Toss: East.

When Mohammed Shami walks onto the MAC Stadium turf on Sunday for East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone, it will be a momentous occasion for the 36-year-old, who will be featuring in his 100th First Class match.

As he aims to return to the national team, Shami has been putting in the hard yards in domestic cricket. Last year, the pacer took 37 wickets in the Ranji Trophy from seven matches as Bengal narrowly missed out on making the summit clash.

This season, in two Duleep outings so far, the veteran speedster has bowled with pace and verve, prompting East Zone skipper Ishan Kishan to praise him lavishly.

“He has been picking up wickets, giving all his energy. He is coming in and asking me for those extra overs to get the wickets.

“It is hard when you are not regularly playing for the Indian team and to have that kind of motivation for domestic games. But I see that hunger in him.

“You can see when he is trying to help me — he comes and gives options about what can be done,” Kishan added.

At a time when Jasprit Bumrah is battling injuries and Mohammed Siraj is not looking at his sharpest, another good run in domestic cricket could get Shami back in the reckoning.

India’s next Test tour is to New Zealand, where conditions will be seamer-friendly. Shami can also be a great asset in the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, a tournament where he boasts of a stellar record — 55 wickets at a world-leading average of 13.52.

In the last Duleep game against Central Zone in Bengaluru, the way Shami set up Yash Rathod — testing the batter outside the off-stump, softening him up with a few bouncers before nipping one away to get him caught behind — showed a bowler still at the top of his game.

During that fixture, National selector Pragyan Ojha had a long discussion with the pacer from Amroha. Opening of a fresh chapter in Shami’s international career? Time will tell.

 Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s care-free, adolescent excellence graced big-ticket First Class cricket, as the 15-year-old made an entertaining 81-ball 92 on day two of East Zone’s Duleep Trophy semifinal versus Central Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here on Monday.

In an innings that lasted 118 minutes and was studded with seven sixes and as many fours, Sooryavanshi took on every bowler, and put on 161 glorious runs for the opening wicket with Abhimanyu Easwaran (69, 106b, 8×4).

He was dropped on 40 by Yash Rathod at backward point off Saransh Jain while trying a wild cross-batted heave. But what is boyhood if frightening frankness isn’t accompanied by tiny flaws?

Pacer Yash Thakur was the first to bear Sooryavanshi’s brunt, smashed as he was for a flurry of fours and two sixes, one down the ground and the other hooked.

Saransh, who had just returned from Sri Lanka following his debut Test, induced a false stroke in his very first over only for Yash Rathod to make a mess of it.

Sooryavanshi, however, was unaffected. Reputation has rarely bothered him, and in the IPL, he didn’t spare even the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Hazlewood.

A falling reverse sweep off Saransh was his response, and though that did not fetch the desired result, he hoisted the offie over long-on to bring up his half-century from 42 balls.

Sooryavanshi then collected maximums off medium-pacer Aryan Panday and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey, before launching another blitzkrieg against Saransh.

The seasoned Madhya Pradesh spinner was sent soaring above long-off, violently reverse-swept for four, and then muscled over cow-corner.

Another attempt at a hoick ended Sooryavanshi’s stay as he was caught at deep mid-wicket off Dubey.

But it was not before he became the youngest half-centurion in Duleep Trophy history, breaking Rajasthan batter Laxman Singh’s record for Central Zone from January 1969 when the latter was 16.

 South Zone weathered a blistering early morning bowling effort from India pacer Gurnoor Brar (four for 70) to finish day two of the Duleep Trophy semifinal 90 runs in the green at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here on Monday.

From an overnight 40 for two, South was reduced to 80 for five. But skipper Tilak Varma played all day (106 batting, 225b, 7×4), and combined with Shreyas Gopal (87, 169b, 11×4) for an excellent, match-turning 175-run partnership.

If not for a flurry of wickets towards close – from 255 for five to 270 for nine – South would have been in a healthier position. Nevertheless, with Tilak still around, South can hope to turn the screw further on day three, starting from 285 for nine.

It was an uncharacteristic innings from the usually dashing 23-year-old Hyderabad batter. His half-century took 149 balls and contained no boundaries, and the first hit past the ropes came on the 154th delivery, helping South secure the first-innings lead.

Shreyas was a tad faster but eschewed none of his partner’s caution, safely cutting and steering his way to his fifty from 107 deliveries. But just when the 32-year-old seemed set for his seventh First Class ton, an attempted glide to third-man brought about his downfall.

A mini collapse ensued, and it was only then that Tilak shifted gears, and reached his eighth First Class hundred from 219 balls with back-to-back boundaries off Gurnoor.

But in the morning, Gurnoor would have had no inkling of the things to come. Off his fifth ball, he turned N. Jagadeesan inside-out and rearranged his stumps.

R. Smaran, the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy top-scorer, was consumed by another mesmerising delivery that hit the top of off-stump. K. Himateja was sent back next ball to push South to the brink only for Tilak and Shreyas to turn the tables.

On the adjacent ground where East Zone was playing Central, proceedings were in stark contrast. Where South scored 73 runs in the opening session, East, propelled by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s manic 92 (81b, 7×4, 7×6), scored as many as 183.

But from 200 for two, Ishan Kishan’s outfit was dismissed for 266, the same first-innings total as Central. In what is now a one-innings shoot out, Central was 45 for three at stumps, with captain Rajat Patidar too back in the hut.

The scores: North Zone 195 vs. South Zone 285/9 in 94 overs (Tilak Varma 106 batting, Shreyas Gopal 87, Gurnoor Brar 4/70).

Central Zone 266 & 45/3 in 20 overs vs. East Zone 266 in 57 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 69, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 92, Harsh Dubey 4/66).

Even as the Tamil Nadu cricketing community gathered to celebrate the start of the 10th edition of the Tamil Nadu Premier League T20 competition on Tuesday, a development from a few days ago should prompt some serious introspection by the powers that be.

On Sunday, the South Zone Duleep Trophy squad was announced, with only Tamil Nadu player – wicketkeeper-batter N. Jagadeesan – finding a place in the 15-member squad. And TN had no reason to complain as it was a reflection of the side’s dismal performances in domestic cricket for a while now, especially in the Ranji Trophy.

Consistent underperformance in the country’s premier domestic tournament would eventually dry up opportunities for its players to be picked for higher levels and catch the attention of selectors.

Since the 2016-17 campaign, TN has made the knockouts only three times (2016-17 semifinals; 2023-24 semifinals; 2024-25 quarterfinals).

Last season, TN finished sixth out of eight teams in its group and was ranked 21st overall among 32 teams in the Elite division. In seven matches, the team managed just one outright win and managed to take first-innings lead in two other games.

Even on an individual level, none of the batters or bowlers stood out. While Pradosh Ranjan Paul was the top-scorer with 564 runs, Sai Kishore topped the wickets charts with 20 scalps. For context, Goa’s Abhinav Tejrana, a member of the South Zone squad, managed 788 runs and was the fifth-highest run-getter in the season.

While there have been criticisms surrounding some of the selections in the past and the constant changing of coaches every year, it is also time for the players – especially the senior pros – to take the onus and deliver for being backed for so long.

As the two-time champion prepares for the upcoming season under a new coach – V. Yo Mahesh – and a new selection committee, there is a gargantuan task ahead to take corrective measures and use this as a wake-up call.