South Zone leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal reflected on wrist-spin success in red-ball cricket during his 100th first-class match, while East Zone's Shikhar Mohan impressed with an 85-run knock on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final.
South Zone leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal marked his 100th First Class appearance on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final, stating his desire to prove that wrist-spinners can sustain long and successful careers in red-ball cricket.
The 33-year-old explained that he wanted to challenge the perception that leg-spinners rarely play more than 30 to 50 games. Gopal enjoyed an outstanding Ranji Trophy campaign last season, collecting 48 wickets and scoring 469 runs to help guide Karnataka to the final.
Attributing his development to tactical improvements—such as better crease utilization and knowing when to attack or defend—Gopal also credited his time with M.S. Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings. He revealed that insights gained from Dhoni over the past two years aided his tactical decision-making when captaining the Mangaluru Dragons to the Maharaja Trophy KSCA T20 title last year.
Meanwhile, East Zone batter Shikhar Mohan carried his strong form into the match by scoring 85 on day one, building on his maiden Ranji season where he accumulated 613 runs. Mohan credited a strong partnership and guidance from team-mate Ishan Kishan, who provided advice on shot selection during his innings.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Sport. Photo courtesy The Hindu Sport.