Duleep Trophy
Bengaluru, Sep 6: The third day of the Duleep Trophy semifinals produced contrasting narratives at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, with Shubham Khajuria’s fighting century keeping North Zone afloat against South, while Central Zone, powered by crucial contributions from Harsh Dubey and Upendra Yadav, seized control of their clash with West Zone.
At one end, it was Khajuria’s grit that stood out. The Jammu and Kashmir opener carried his bat through the day with an unbeaten 128, ensuring North Zone still harboured hopes of avoiding a follow-on against South Zone’s mammoth first-innings total of 536.
Despite his resistance, North were 278 for 5 at stumps, still trailing by 258 runs. Khajuria found his most reliable ally in Haryana all-rounder Nishant Sindhu, who struck a fluent 82 after earlier picking up five wickets with his left-arm spin. Their 171-run stand for the fourth wicket steadied the innings after early jolts, but late wickets, including the dismissal of Sindhu and a run-out of wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan, left North facing a daunting task heading into the final day.
Meanwhile, Central Zone put one foot into the final with a commanding reply to West Zone’s 438.
Resuming at 229 for 2, Central rode on half-centuries from Yadav (87) and Dubey (75) to post a formidable 556 for 8 by stumps, gaining a vital 118-run first-innings lead.
The duo came together after a middle-order wobble that saw skipper Rajat Patidar (77) bowled by Dharmendra Jadeja and Shubham Sharma (96) fall short of a deserved hundred through an unfortunate run-out.
From a precarious 322 for 5, Dubey and Yadav stitched a 134-run partnership that tilted the contest firmly in Central’s favour. Dubey, who earlier took three wickets with his spin, counter-attacked with flair before falling just after reaching his fifty, while Yadav anchored the innings with patience despite an early reprieve.
The pair not only helped Central surpass West’s total but also deflated their opponents’ momentum.
Later, Deepak Chahar (33) and Saransh Jain (37 batting) ensured the lead swelled further, leaving West Zone staring at an uphill battle.
With one semifinal delicately poised and the other heavily tilted, the stage is set for an absorbing final day’s play.
North Zone will pin their hopes on Khajuria to extend his marathon knock and reduce the deficit, though South remain clear favourites.
Central Zone, on the other hand, look primed to march into the title clash after seizing the initiative against West. (PTI)