Duleep Trophy Final | Central completes the formalities with six wickets to spare

Central Zone overcame a number of hiccups to defeat South Zone by six wickets on the ultimate day of their Duleep Trophy summit conflict right here on Monday.

Needing 65 runs to lay declare to the title, Central misplaced 4 wickets however managed to attain the goal in the morning session. This was Central’s first Duleep Trophy triumph since the Piyush Chawla-led aspect took prime honours in the 2014-15 version.

Having posted an enormous 511 in the first essay, Central stayed in the driver’s seat for a majority of the match. South will rue an abysmal batting efficiency on the first day, when it was bowled out for 149 on a batting-friendly pitch.

South’s batting woes

South coach and former India pacer L. Balaji admitted that the batters ought to have displayed extra warning in the first innings. “In hindsight. you can say that some of the shots were a little bit unnecessary. But this is a young batting unit,” Balaji stated, referring to the likes of R. Smaran and Andre Siddarth, “They will definitely learn from this.”

Madhya Pradesh all-rounder Saransh Jain was declared the ‘Player of the Series’. He completed as the highest wicket-taker of the match (16 wickets), and likewise contributed with two essential fifties with the bat.

The 32-year-old is glad to have began the home season with displaying. “It is a very important series for me, because it helps prepare for all the upcoming tournaments. It all starts with the Duleep Trophy. It is very important for me to carry this momentum forward,” Saransh stated.

Performances on this stage is bound to be seen by the nationwide selectors. “This is an important tournament, so all the selectors are here. My aim is to give my best. The rest is up to the selectors,” Saransh stated.

The scores: South Zone 149 & 426 misplaced to Central Zone 511 & 66/4 in 20.3 overs. PoM: Yash Rathod; PoS: Saransh Jain.