(source : ANI) ( Photo Credit : ani)
Yash Rathod’s Near-Double Century Powers Central Zone in Duleep Trophy Final
Bengaluru, September 13: Yash Rathod came agonizingly close to a double hundred in the Duleep Trophy final, but his explosive knock still gave Central Zone a strong edge over South Zone on day three at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Central Zone racked up a massive 511 in their first innings, putting South Zone under huge pressure. South Zone, who folded for just 149 earlier, ended the day at 129 for 2 in their second innings, still 233 runs behind.
Yash Rathod stole the show with a brilliant 194 off 286 balls, smashing 17 fours and 2 sixes. He started the day on 137 not out alongside Saransh Jain, who was on 47. The pair built a solid 176-run stand for the sixth wicket, pushing the score past 400. Saransh notched up 69 off 193 balls with 7 fours before Ankit Sharma broke through, taking his wicket at 442.
Deepak Chahar then joined Yash, helping Central Zone cross 500. But spinner Gurjapneet Singh struck gold, bowling Yash just short of his dream 200. Chahar added a quick 37 off 49 balls, including 3 fours and 2 sixes, before Central Zone crumbled for 511 in 145.1 overs. Gurjapneet finished with impressive figures of 4 for 124, the best for South Zone.
In South Zone’s first innings, Central Zone’s bowlers dominated after being asked to field first. Saransh Jain took 5 for 49, and Kumar Kartikeya grabbed 4 for 53, bundling them out cheaply.
South Zone’s second innings began steadily with openers Tanmay Agarwal (26 off 42 balls, 2 fours) and Mohit Kale (38 off 61 balls, 7 fours) putting on 62 runs. But Kuldip Sen and Saransh Jain struck once each, reducing them to 76 for 2. Unbeaten knocks from Ravichandran Smaran (37) and Ricky Bhui (26) steadied the ship, ensuring no further wickets fell on the day.
Central Zone holds the upper hand in this thrilling Duleep Trophy final, with Yash Rathod’s heroics lighting up the match. Fans are buzzing about the young batter’s performance—could this be his breakthrough in domestic cricket?
Brief scores: Central Zone 511 (Yash Rathod 194, Rajat Patidar 101; Gurjapneet Singh 4/124) lead South Zone 149 (Saransh Jain 5/49, Kumar Kartikeya 4/53) and 129/2 (Mohit Kale 38, R Smaran 37*; Saransh Jain 1/32) by 233 runs.
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