'My best game comes under pressure': Ishan on record-breaking 270 in Duleep Trophy Final

Chennai: India batter and East Zone captain Ishan Kishan believes the pressure of big matches brings out the best in him, as he reflected on his monumental 270 in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Kishan produced one of the finest knocks in Duleep Trophy history, smashing 270 off 334 balls with 30 fours and seven sixes to help East Zone post a mammoth 708 in their first innings. His knock is the eighth-highest individual score in the history of the competition.

Speaking in a BCCI video ahead of the start of Day 3, Kishan said he thrives in situations where the stakes are high and pressure is mounting.

“I think when it’s a big match, there’s a kind of pressure. And I feel that in that pressure, my best game comes, because when you’re batting, you’re a little nervous, but at the same time, you’re aggressive too. You’re watching; if you get the ball, you’ll hit it. So I think it’s a very good mixture of calm and being aggressive. So it works a lot for me when there are such stages, where either the wickets have fallen early. Whenever I’m in such situations, I enjoy it a lot,” Kishan said.

Kishan’s approach during the marathon innings was built around patience and playing according to the situation rather than chasing personal milestones. He said he constantly broke the team’s target into smaller goals while batting.

"Rather than thinking about your own batting, you have your team goal. What will benefit the team? So when you move forward according to that, your batting becomes very good. If the total has reached 400 now, let’s do 450 first. Then let’s do 450 to 500. So, you know, this is a process that you go through," Kishan said.

The left-hander also explained how he dealt with the challenging conditions and a softening ball at Chepauk, where the large boundaries demanded considerable effort from the batters.

"It’s very difficult. You have to put in a lot of effort to hit shots. The boundary on one side was very big. The ball was getting soft in between. So you had to put in a lot of effort for the boundary," Kishan said.

Kishan also revealed how he adjusted his technique against Mohammad Siraj, particularly when the pacer attempted to unsettle him with short deliveries.

"When Siraj was putting in, I was batting more bent down. It wasn’t to tackle the bouncer. But it was to avoid throwing the wicket. If I go to hit it and get out somewhere," he said.

Kishan initially shared a major partnership with Kumar Kushagra, who scored 101 off 132 balls, before continuing his assault against a tiring South Zone attack.

Kushagra’s dismissal for 101 came shortly before lunch, but Kishan continued to dominate, reaching his double century off 270 balls. He then accelerated further and moved beyond 250 before briefly retiring due to fatigue.

He returned to the crease after Mohammed Shami’s quickfire 28 and attempted to push towards a rare triple century. However, with wickets falling at the other end, Kishan was eventually caught near the long-on boundary for 270, leaving him 30 runs short of the landmark.

Reflecting on the innings, Kishan said the quality of his strokeplay gave him confidence throughout the long stay at the crease.

“The shots weren’t like I was taking a lot of chances. I wasn’t hitting those gaps. I was doing a good ball pick. So all these things give you a little confidence,” he said.

East Zone’s mammoth total has also put them in a commanding position in the final, with South Zone facing a daunting task against the side led by their inspirational captain.

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