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Key Points

Central Zone has secured their place in the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone. They achieved this through a massive first-innings lead against West Zone in the semifinal. Saransh Jain emerged as the match hero with both bat and ball, earning Player of the Match honors. The team created history by scoring 600 runs without any batter reaching a century.

Key Points: Saransh Jain All-Round Show Sends Central Zone to Duleep Trophy Final

  • Central Zone posts 600 runs without any individual century
  • Saransh Jain claims match-winning 8 wickets and scores crucial half-century
  • Ruturaj Gaikwad marks comeback with brilliant 184 for West Zone
  • Team advances to final against South Zone based on first-innings lead
2 min read

Duleep Trophy: Saransh Jain's all-round show helps Central Zone reach finals after draw

Central Zone reaches Duleep Trophy final after massive first-innings lead against West Zone, powered by Saransh Jain's all-round performance and team record.

"Saransh Jain, who took 5/84 in this innings, got the 'Player of the Match' award - Match Report"

Bengaluru, September 7

Central Zone made it to the finals of the ongoing Duleep Trophy, securing the fifth-highest score by a side in first-class cricket without a century, during their semifinal match against West Zone at Bengaluru on Sunday.

The final will be between the Central Zone and the South Zone. Central Zone secured a place in the finals on the basis of a massive first innings lead.

West Zone elected to bat first after winning the toss. While the top Indian talent Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) and Shreyas Iyer (25) failed, Ruturaj Gaikwad, playing his first competitive game ever since an injury cut short his Indian Premier League (IPL) for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), made his eighth first-class ton, scoring 184 in 206 balls, with 25 fours and a six. In the lower-middle-order, half-centuries came from Tanush Kotian (76 in 166 balls, with six fours) and Shardul Thakur (64 in 98 balls, with seven fours) as West pushed to 438 in 108 overs.

Harsh Dubey (3/118) and Saransh Jain (3/121) were the top bowlers for Central Zone.

Central Zone delivered a strong reply with Danish Malewar (76 in 136 balls, with 12 fours and a six), Shubham Sharma (96 in 241 balls, with 11 fours) and skipper Rajat Patidar (77 in 84 balls, with 12 fours) impressing with fifties contrasting in styles and tempos at the top of the order.

Later in the middle and lower-middle-order, wicketkeeper-batter Upendra Yadav (87 in 181 balls, with eight fours and two sixes), Harsh Dubey (75 in 93 balls, with 13 fours) and Saransh Jain (63* in 108 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) scored fifties in tandem, the result was CZ scoring 600 in 164.3 overs, without a century.

The highest score by a first-class side without a century is by Surrey during the 2022 County Championship, scoring 671/9 declared against Kent, with Ollie Pope (96) being the top-scorer.

Central Zone had claimed a gigantic 162-run lead and had to bowl out West quickly, but solid contributions from Jaiswal (64 in 70 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Tanush Kotian (40* in 72 balls, with seven fours) meant that the hands were shaken for a draw at 216/8. Iyer (12) and Gaikwad (16) flopped in this innings.

Saransh Jain, who took 5/84 in this innings, got the 'Player of the Match' award for his half-century and eight wickets in the match for CZ.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Impressive team effort by Central Zone! Five half-centuries without a single century shows depth in batting. This is how you build a strong domestic structure 👏
A
Aman W
Concerned about Shreyas Iyer's form though. Two failures in this match when he should be dominating domestic cricket. Hope he finds his rhythm before the international season
S
Sarah B
Great to see Ruturaj back with a bang after his IPL injury! 184 runs in his comeback game shows his class. CSK will be relieved to see him in form 💛
V
Vikram M
The Duleep Trophy continues to be the best platform for identifying talent. Jain, Dubey, Malewar - all putting their hands up for higher honors. Domestic cricket is the backbone!
K
Kavya N
Shubham Sharma's 96 from 241 balls was the real anchor innings. Sometimes these gritty knocks are more valuable than flashy centuries. Proper test match batting!

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