Indian youngster copies Kohli's century celebration in Deodhar Trophy final, reveals during candid chat with Mayank

Rohan Kunnummal performed an iconic Virat Kohli celebration after reaching his ton during the Deodhar Trophy final.

South Zone defeated East Zone by 45 runs in the final of the Deodhar Trophy, at the CAP Siechem Ground in Thuthipet on Thursday. Defending a target of 329 runs, Mayank Agarwal-led South Zone bowled out East Zone for 283 in 46.1 overs, courtesy of a three-wicket haul from Washington Sundar. Meanwhile, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, V Koushik and VIdwath Kaverappa bagged two wickets each.

Rohan Kunnummal does Virat Kohli's iconic celebration. (Twitter)

Initially, South Zone posted 328/8 in 50 overs and Rohan Kunnummal slammed a century, which proved to be crucial. The opener smacked 107 runs off 75 balls, packed with 11 fours and four sixes. On reaching his ton, the opener imitated Virat Kohli's famous 'bat does the talking' celebration and caught everyone's attention. After the match, he was asked by Mayank, if Kohli was the inspiration behind his celebration and the young opener said, "Obviously yes, from the first day I came here, I was thinking if I get a century, how will I celebrate. I got it at the last match, but I planned it before that if I get a century, I will do this."

The match also saw Mayank build a strong opening partnership with Kunnummal. The India star smacked 63 off 83 balls, hammering four fours in the process. Also, Narayan Jagadeesan got a half-century for South Zone, registering 54 off 60 balls, clattering two fours and a six. During his chat with his opening partner, Mayank also revealed, "I have been continuously working on my game. Being very disciplined about the hard work I put in and where I put my energy."

Hailing Mayank, Kunnummal replied, "I am also learning from you Mayank bhai. Your ethics, your attitude inside the ground, everything is so inspirational. I love to play with you."

In the Deodhar Trophy final, Rohan also touched the 1000-run mark in List A cricket. He has 531 runs in T20s and 972 in 11 FC matches. Meanwhile, his century in the final helped him cross 300 runs in the Deodhar Trophy, and he ended the tournament with 311 runs from six matches, at an average of 62.20 and a 123.90 strike rate. In the past, he had caught everyone's attention during the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy, where he was Kerala's best batter, smacking 417 runs in four innings, including three tons and a fifty. During that season, he averaged 139.00 and drilled 53 fours and eight sixes.