Ex-cricketer criticises East Zone’s approach despite Duleep Trophy triumph

Sunil Gavaskar has some honest words for the recently crowned Duleep Trophy winners despite their success after years. The former India opener has offered a mixed assessment of East Zone’s Duleep Trophy victory, praising the side’s achievement while sharply criticising their tactics in the final against South Zone.

East Zone, captained by Ishan Kishan, ended a 13-year wait for the title after the five-day final in Chennai finished in a draw. The side posted a massive 708 in their first innings, powered by Kishan’s 270, then dismissed South Zone for 336 to take a 372-run lead.

Instead of pressing for an outright win, East Zone batted on in their second innings, declaring at 388 for 7 and setting an improbable target before both captains agreed to end the match early. Writing in Mid-Day, Gavaskar said the decision “doesn’t sit well.” He mentioned the things he didn't actually like in the Duleep Trophy tournament.

Ex-cricketer criticises East Zone’s approach despite Duleep Trophy triumph

The former cricketer noted that East Zone prolonged their second innings unnecessarily and questioned why the game was not called off at lunch when it was already clear South Zone had no realistic chance of chasing a huge total in the remaining sessions.

The Indian legend linked the approach to a wider problem in domestic cricket. He wrote:

“This business of the first innings lead being enough is one of the main reasons India struggle to take 20 wickets on good pitches.”

Gavaskar added:

“How does a team learn to take 20 wickets if they don’t bowl in two innings in a domestic game?”

The former Indian player pointed to India’s recent difficulty in closing out the second Test in Sri Lanka as an example. At the same time, Gavaskar congratulated the winning side on their success, highlighting that a side with relatively few big-name stars had lifted the trophy through strong leadership and teamwork. He said:

“It’s a good sign for Indian cricket.”

The comments come amid ongoing debate about the structure of domestic red-ball cricket and the emphasis on first-innings leads in drawn matches. Meanwhile, East Zone captain Ishan Kishan made history by becoming the only second captain to score a double century in the history of the team.

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