After 11 years, Rajat Patidar led Central Zone to clinch the Duleep Trophy for the seventh time here on Monday.
Central Zone was in the driver’s seat of the match from the very first innings. They restricted the South Zone to just 149 runs in the first essay and then smashed a massive total of 511 in reply. Yash Rathod cracked a fiery 194 off 286 deliveries, while skipper Rajat Patidar added a valuable 101 off 115. Rathod’s magnificent knock not only put Central Zone in control but also earned him the Player of the Match award. The 25-year-old finished with a total of 207 runs in the final.
South Zone, however, showed resilience in their second innings. They fought hard to post 426 on the board. But on the final day, it took Central Zone just 94 minutes to complete the formalities and bag the trophy. The win was a result of consistent team effort throughout the tournament. Skipper Rajat Patidar, carrying his fine form, emerged as the highest run getter of the series.
The spotlight also shone on Saransh Jain, who was awarded the player of the tournament for his brilliant performance with both bat and ball throughout the tournament. The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder picked up 16 wickets and scored 136 crucial runs for the team.
32-year-old Saransh was very happy to start his domestic season with a good flow. Reflecting on his performance, Saransh said, “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.”
South Zone coach and former India pacer L. Balaji acknowledged that his batting unit could have done more in the contest. “In hindsight. You can say that some of the shots were a little bit unnecessary. But this is a young batting unit,” Balaji said, “They will definitely learn from this.” He added.
Ahead of the final, both teams had to make some changes in the squad as some of the players received India A call-ups. Despite that, the competition offered plenty of positives. As the tournament concluded, both camps agreed that the youngsters gained invaluable experience that will help them prepare for bigger stages in the future.
