East Zone successfully navigated a challenging run chase to defeat Central Zone by four wickets in Bengaluru, clinching a spot in the Duleep Trophy final. Despite a batting collapse in their first innings, East Zone maintained control by restricting Central Zone to 43/3 by the close of play on the previous day. With the match effectively becoming a second-innings shootout, the third day proved decisive.
Central Zone’s hopes of a recovery were dashed early when Abhijit K Sarkar and Mohammed Shami claimed wickets in consecutive overs, leaving them reeling at 63/5. A resilient 41-run effort from Aman Mokhade, supported by lower-order contributions from Harsh Dubey and Arshad Khan, pushed the total past 150. Mukesh Kumar spearheaded the bowling attack with four wickets, while Shami chipped in with three.
Chasing a target of 159, East Zone openers Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran provided a solid start with a 61-run partnership. Sooryavanshi played aggressively, scoring 40, but his dismissal triggered a brief wobble as Easwaran fell just four runs later. Ishan Kishan and Kumar Kushagra steadied the ship, moving the score to 124/3 before Harsh Dubey claimed two wickets in two balls to reignite Central Zone’s hopes. Kishan remained composed, finishing unbeaten on 39 as Shami struck the winning runs.
In the other semi-final, North Zone and South Zone are locked in a tense struggle. South Zone resumed their innings with a 90-run lead, eventually adding 27 more runs to conclude their effort, with Tilak Varma remaining not out on 116. North Zone faced an early setback losing Qamran Iqbal, but a century partnership between Sanat Sangwan and Ayush Doseja wiped out the deficit and put them in a strong position at 190/3.
The momentum shifted dramatically when Shreyas Gopal dismissed Abdul Samad, triggering a late collapse. MD Nidheesh removed both Sangwan and captain Kanhaiya Wadhawan, while Gopal continued to take wickets. By the close of play on Day 3, Anshul Kamboj and Nishant Sindhu had stabilized the innings with an unbeaten 47-run stand, extending North Zone’s lead to 139 with three wickets remaining. The report also notes that despite suffering a batting collapse yesterday, East Zone were always in control of the contest after reducing Central Zone to 43/3 by Stumps. The report also notes that aman Mokhade managed to battle it out in the middle for 41 and the likes of Harsh Dubey and Arshad Khan made meaningful contributions lower down the order to drag Central Zone beyond 150. The report also notes that vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran added 61 for the opening wicket with the former in particular batting in typical swashbuckling fashion. The report also notes that the moment there was a breakthrough with Sooryavanshi falling for 40, Easwaran followed suit with just four runs added to the total, but once again. The report also notes that but Ishan Kishan alongside Kumar Kushagra ensured there were no hiccups for a while as they guided East Zone to 124/3 at one stage when Harsh Dubey struck twice in two balls to cause some panic in the batting camp again.
