Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran turned his 31st birthday into a day to remember. On the opening day of the Duleep Trophy final between East Zone and South Zone, he walked out to open the innings and played a rapid half-century that gave his side a flying start. Batting in fine touch throughout, Easwaran was eventually dismissed for 72 runs off 86 balls, an innings studded with 10 fours and a six that showed just how aggressively he was striking the ball.
Fifty in 46 balls pushes him past Rishabh Pant
Easwaran reached his half-century in just 46 balls, a knock quick enough to place him fourth on the list of the fastest fifties in Duleep Trophy history. In doing so, he went past Rishabh Pant, who had scored a fifty in 47 balls back in 2024. Interestingly, his opening partner Vaibhav Suryavanshi had recently taken second spot on the same list after smashing a fifty off just 42 balls in this very tournament, meaning both openers now sit together among the format's quickest half-centuries.
Jadeja's record still stands untouched
The record for the fastest fifty in Duleep Trophy history still belongs to India's veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, who reached his half-century in just 35 balls back in 2010. Sixteen years on, nobody has managed to break that mark in this prestigious tournament. Alongside Jadeja and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the top three also features India's T20 captain Shreyas Iyer, who brought up a fifty in 44 balls in 2024. Notably, all four of the fastest fifties in the tournament's history have come within the last decade and a half, underlining how much more aggressive batting in the competition has become in recent years.
A hundred-run stand built alongside Suryavanshi
East Zone captain Ishan Kishan won the toss and opted to bat first. Openers Abhimanyu Easwaran and Vaibhav Suryavanshi then gave the innings an aggressive start, adding 100 runs for the first wicket in just 14.3 overs, a stand that set the tone for the rest of the innings. Suryavanshi fell for 44 runs, while Easwaran carried on in fine touch to complete his half-century. It looked like he might go on to score a century on his birthday, but he was run out in the 25th over. At the moment of his dismissal, East Zone were placed at a healthy 133 for 2.
