Sunil Gavaskar Unhappy With Duleep Trophy Final Approach: ‘Need to Take 20 Wickets’

The 2026 Duleep Trophy gained plenty of attention with several international-level cricketers featuring in the domestic tournament. East Zone eventually lifted the title after the final against South Zone ended in a draw. However, Indian cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar was not impressed with the way the final unfolded. He felt East Zone should have taken a more attacking approach instead of relying on their first-innings lead to secure the trophy.

East Zone posted 708 in their first innings, while South Zone were dismissed for 338, giving Ishan Kishan’s side a massive 372-run lead. Instead of enforcing the follow-on, East Zone chose to bat again and reached 338/7 by the afternoon of the fifth day. With little chance of a result remaining, captains Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma agreed to a draw, handing East Zone the title on the basis of their first-innings advantage. Gavaskar said domestic first-class cricket should provide bowlers with the experience of taking 20 wickets, pointing to India’s difficulties in finishing matches after failing to quickly dismiss the final few wickets. He stressed that, just as batters learn to convert fifties into hundreds, bowlers should develop the ability to take 10 wickets across both innings.