North Zone Advances to Duleep Trophy Semifinals; Badoni Hits Double Century

BENGALURU: North Zone secured their place in the semifinals of the Duleep Trophy after achieving a first-innings lead against East Zone, with the match concluding in a draw on Sunday at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. The decision to agree on a draw was made approximately 30 minutes before tea, following an impressive double century from Ayush Badoni, who scored an unbeaten 204 runs.

North Zone declared their second innings at a commanding total of 658 for 4, establishing a substantial lead of 833 runs. Ankit Kumar, the captain, and his team will now face South Zone in the next round of the tournament.

Continuing from an overnight score of 168, Ankit Kumar was on track to achieving his maiden first-class double century when he misplayed a pull shot off Mukhtar Hussain. The catch was taken by Suraj Jaiswal at mid-on, ending Ankit’s innings at 198 runs. In contrast, Badoni maintained his composure, expertly dismantling a struggling East Zone bowling attack that was missing key players like Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar.

Shami was sidelined due to a toe injury sustained during Day 3, while Mukesh missed the second innings because of a minor injury from earlier in the match. This placed additional pressure on the remaining bowlers, with skipper Riyan Parag, returning from a shoulder injury, needing to contribute with the ball. Badoni reached his century in just 123 balls and accelerated to his double century in a mere 99 balls thereafter.

Ankit Kumar reflected on the team’s strategy, stating, “We could have gone for a result because we had the upper hand. But we didn’t try because we had the lead in the first innings.” He emphasized the need to preserve the fitness of bowlers like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, who are preparing for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Central Zone Secures Semifinal Spot

In a separate match at the adjoining ground, Central Zone solidified their semifinal position with a commanding first-innings lead of 347 runs against West Zone. The match ended in a draw, with NorthEast reaching 200 for 6 in their second innings.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav, also part of the Asia Cup squad, bowled 32 overs across two innings but did not take a wicket.

Leadership Changes for South Zone

As Tilak Varma departs for the Asia Cup, South Zone will be led by Mohammed Azharuddin, the skipper of Kerala. Additionally, Tamil Nadu spinner Sai Kishore has been replaced by Andhra leg-spinner Shaik Rasheed due to a hand injury sustained during a local league match. Furthermore, Ankit Sharma from Puducherry will take Varma’s place in the line-up.

In summary, the Duleep Trophy has showcased competitive play, with North Zone and Central Zone advancing to the semifinals, setting the stage for an exciting continuation of the tournament.