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Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya took nine wickets to help Central Zone dismiss South Zone for 149 in the Duleep Trophy final. Central ended day one at 50 without loss.
Duleep Trophy Final: Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya (PTI)
Spinners Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya took advantage of the South Zone batters’ indecisiveness, sharing nine wickets to give Central Zone the upper hand on the first day of the Duleep Trophy final on Thursday.
Jain (5/49) and Kartikeya (4/53) bowled 45 overs combined, helping Central dismiss South for a meager 149 in 63 overs.
Central reached 50 without loss at stumps, trailing by 99 runs. Danish Malewar (28) and Akshay Wadkar (20) were at the crease at the end of the day.
Jain, who bowled 24 overs consecutively, and Kartikeya, who mostly bowled traditional left-arm spin rather than wrist-spin, were instrumental in securing Central’s strong position.
The tentative approach of South’s batters also made the spinners’ job easier.
How Central Zone Dominated South Zone On Day 1 Of Duleep Trophy Final?
South’s troubles began early, in the 16th over, when opener Mohit Kale (6) played a reckless sweep against Kartikeya and was bowled. This triggered a collapse, as South lost three more wickets before lunch, reaching 64 for four in 33 overs.
The run out of Tanmay Agarwal (31 off 76 balls) was particularly damaging. The opener was run out after colliding with his partner Ricky Bhui (15) mid-pitch.
Kartikeya soon bowled Mohammed Azharuddeen with an excellent delivery that pitched on middle stump and turned enough to dislodge the South Zone captain’s off-stump.
Despite this moment of brilliance, South’s batters remained uncertain even after lunch.
Andre Siddarth’s dismissal highlighted their indecisiveness. The Tamil Nadu batter, who had played a fine flick off Kartikeya, was deceived by a flighted ball while attempting a premeditated charge. He was stumped by Upendra Yadav, who did well to collect the ball despite it bouncing above his waist.
Salman Nizar (24) was South Zone’s last hope of reaching the 200-run mark, but the Kerala batter fell to a half-hearted prod against Jain.
A weak push against the off-spinner resulted in a thick edge that bounced off the silly point fielder. Central skipper Rajat Patidar at gully was alert enough to catch the rebound.
After Nizar’s dismissal, South offered little resistance. Jain completed his ninth five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, and his second consecutive one after taking 5 for 84 against West Zone in the Duleep Trophy semifinals last week.
Central’s openers Malewar and Wadkar were confident and judged the ball’s path correctly, unlike South’s batters.
There were occasional misses and loud leg-before appeals on the overcast day, but these did not affect the Central batters’ focus during their ongoing 50-run partnership.
Malewar was particularly impressive, hitting pacer Gurjapneet Singh for two consecutive fours — a cover drive and a pull in the seventh over.
(With inputs from PTI)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
September 11, 2025, 17:41 IST
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