Duleep Trophy final | Central in complete command as Patidar and Rathod slam centuries

Centuries from Rajat Patidar (101, 115b, 12×4, 2×6) and Yash Rathod (137 batting, 188b, 11×4, 1×6) took Central Zone to a powerful place towards South Zone on the second day of their Duleep Trophy remaining on the BCCI CoE Floor (1) right here on Friday.

Patidar and Rathod shut South out of the competition with a 167-run fourth-wicket stand. Central completed the day on 384 for 5, with a 235-run first-innings lead.

Vidarbha batter Rathod, the very best run-scorer of the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, blunted spinners Ankit Sharma and Ricky Bhui. Fast to identify the size and rock again, Rathod picked the gaps with ease.

Rathod
| Picture Credit score:
Ok. MURALI KUMAR

Within the night session, Rathod and Saransh Jain (47 batting) fully deflated South with an unbroken 118-run stand.

Patidar’s superb kind continued, with the skipper notching up his fifteenth First Class hundred. Patidar was at his finest towards pacers Gurjapneet Singh, V. Koushik and M.D. Nidheesh, presenting the complete face of the bat with pleasing straight drives. The Central captain displayed his full vary of strokes when off-spinner Bhui got here on. An enormous hit over mid-wicket, sweeps and a minimize left Bhui looking for solutions.

Patidar obtained a reprieve on 44, when he provided no shot to left-arm tweaker Ankit and was adjudged leg-before. Replays, nevertheless, confirmed that Ankit had overstepped.

The 32-year-old was lastly trapped by a bouncer from Gurjapneet, tickling a hook to the wicket-keeper.

Earlier, Koushik gave South hope at the beginning of the day by eradicating Akshay Wadkar. The opener shouldered arms to a ball which pitched exterior off, however moved in sharply to hit the stumps.

Wadkar’s companion Danish Malewar (53, 120b, 5×4) continued to impress. The 21-year-old, who solely made his senior debut final season, displayed commendable fortitude to see off the brand new ball.

The scores: South Zone 149 vs Central Zone 384/5 in 104 overs (Danish Malewar 53, Rajat Patidar 101, Yash Rathod 137 batting, Saransh Jain 47 batting, Gurjapneet Singh 3/74).