Bengaluru: In the Duleep Trophy final, the Central Zone has taken a significant lead over the South Zone in the first innings. Yash Rathod delivered his best performance of his career, scoring 194 runs, giving the Central Zone a total lead of 362 runs. On the third day, Rathod remained not out at 137 runs, just six runs short of a double century when he was finally dismissed.
Rathod formed a partnership of 176 runs with Saransh Jain, dominating left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma in particular. He scored 76 runs off 84 balls bowled by Sharma. Thanks to Rathod’s batting excellence, the Central Zone reached a total of 511 runs.
The Central Zone’s score is far above South Zone’s first innings total of 149 runs. When play halted on the third day, the South Zone was at 2 for 129 runs in their second innings, still trailing by 233 runs, highlighting Central Zone’s clear dominance in the match.
Rathod’s performance in this final has been crucial not just personally but also for the team’s control over the game. Having been the top scorer last Ranji Trophy season with 960 runs, Rathod entered the Duleep Trophy final determined to secure a century in this tournament after missing out.