Central Zone Gains Upper Hand Against South Zone After Spinners Dominate At Opening Day Of Duleep Trophy Final

Duleep Trophy Final: Day one of the Duleep Trophy Final witnessed an outright domination by the Central Zone as they dismantled the South Zone early in the competition. The spinners from CEZ displayed utter authority to help gain the upper hand and an advantage in the summit clash.

The Duleep Trophy tournament has reached a pivotal juncture as the finalists lock horns in the summit clash. Star players are in action and aim to prove their dominance through sheer perseverance and power in domestic cricket to find their way to the top.

Central Zone Dismantles South Zone With Superior Spin-Bowling At Duleep Trophy Final

The Central Zone had won the toss, and captain Rajat Patidar did not hesitate while opting to bowl first. The action commenced under gloomy skies and on a decent grassy surface where the pacers failed to make an impact early on. Even though the conditions improved, it was the spinners who stole the show.

Spinner Saransh Jain shone through in the competition with a five-wicket haul in his 24-over bowling spell. Kumar Kartikeya also delivered an impactful innings with a four-wicket haul to dismantle the SOZ batters, who eventually crumbled at 149 after 63 overs.

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Once the spinners were put on the attack, it was game over for the South Zone as Saransh and Kartikeya delivered a spell to remember. A lot is at stake at the Duleep Trophy final, and the Central Zone has gained a significant advantage in the competition.

South Zone Falls, But Central Zone Remains Firm With The Bat 

South Zone failed to withstand Central's all-out spin attack as Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya dismissed most of the batters.

After Tanmay Agarway was dismissed via run out at 31 runs, the South Zone suffered a substantial batting collapse as Mohit Kale was taken down at just nine runs.

Smaran Ravichandran was also dismissed at just one, while Ricky Bhui scored 15 before being taken down via lbw. Captain Mohammed Azharuddeen faltered after just four runs, and Salman Nizar was dismissed at 24 runs. The collapse was significant, and they failed to hammer out a turnaround.

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In response, the Central Zone has responded well with the bat. Openers Danish Malewar and Akshay Wadkar remained unbeaten till the end of play on day one. Malewar scored a 64-ball 28 while Wadkar's 52-ball 20 helped them reach 50 runs, trailing by 99 runs.

The CEZ openers will continue to bat on day two of the Duleep Trophy Final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru.