Bengaluru: It took Central Zone just 94 minutes on Monday morning to stake a claim to the Duleep Trophy at the BCCI Centre of Excellence ground here. But the win wasn’t without drama. Chasing a paltry 65 against South Zone, Central lost four wickets before man of the match Yash Rathod’s classic cover drive to the picket fence signalled the victory in the 21st over. This was Central’s seventh Duleep Trophy win and their first in 11 years. South, who were bowled out for 149 in the first innings, fought back with 426 in the second essay, but Central’s first-innings tally of 511 had already sealed their match by Day 3. Having put the champagne on ice on the penultimate day, Central lost Danish Malewar in the fourth over to spinner Ankit Sharma. Left-arm pacer delayed Central’s victory march, claiming the wickets of Shubham Sharma and Saransh Jain in the ninth over. While Shubham nudged an edge to wicketkeeper Mohammed Azharuddeen, Saransh went for a big shot and offered a thick edge to Andre Siddarth at midwicket. Skipper Rajat Patidar failed to close out the match and was the last casualty. Central capped a memorable tournament, driven by game-changing individual brilliance. Skipper Patidar, the highest run-getter of the tournament (382 runs), led from the front, followed by Rathod (374 runs) and Danish Malewar (353). Among the bowlers, spinner Saransh Jain, adjudged the player of the tournament, picked up 16 wickets in three matches and scored 136 runs. In the run-up to the final, both teams had to change their line-ups, with many players called up for the India ‘A’ series. Central’s bench strength, however, showed greater intent, especially in the first innings, to see the team through. Saransh outlined how the tournament sets the tone for the season ahead. “You need momentum from the start of the season. It is the first tournament, so it feels good to start well. When you dismiss established batters, you grow in confidence and that will help throughout the season,” said the 32-year-old Madhya Pradesh all-rounder. South Zone coach L Balaji rued the team’s first-innings batting performance. “Had we scored more runs in the first innings, or if the second-innings partnership (between Ankita Sharma and Andre Sidharth) had lasted longer, it would have been a solid game. A target of 140-160 would have been ideal for the bowling unit to fight,” pointed out the former India pacer. Commending the efforts of the young team, Balaji added, “The boys did their best. We played a good brand of cricket overall, and we tried our best with the inexperienced side. We were a young team with many playing their first Duleep Trophy, and they have learnt a lot from this.”Brief scores: South Zone (I innings): 149 all out & 426 lost Central Zone: 511 & 66/4 in 20.3 overs (Gurjapneet Singh 2-21, Ankit Sharma 2-22)
