Bengaluru, August 31: East Zone is in a strong position against Central Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2026 Semifinal-1 at the BCCI Center of Excellence Ground-1. Central Zone scored 266 runs in their first innings, matching East Zone’s total. However, in their second innings, Central Zone has lost 3 wickets for just 43 runs. By the end of the second day, Central Zone holds a slim lead of only 43 runs.
After losing the toss, Central Zone batted first and was restricted to 266 runs. They lost 5 wickets for just 125 runs. Harsh Dubey and Rinku Singh then stabilized the innings, adding 55 runs for the sixth wicket. Rinku scored 60 runs with 8 boundaries before returning to the pavilion, while Harsh contributed 27 runs with 5 fours.
Aryan Pandey, along with Yash Thakur, added 45 runs for the tenth wicket, helping the team reach 266. Aryan scored 22 runs, while Yash remained unbeaten on 30 runs with 6 fours. From the opposing side, Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar took 3 wickets each, while Mohammad Shami and Mohammad Qureshi claimed 2 wickets each.
In response, East Zone also collapsed for 266 runs, matching Central Zone’s score. East Zone got off to a fantastic start, thanks to Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran. The opening pair added 161 runs in just 25.2 overs. Vaibhav scored 92 runs off 81 balls, hitting 7 sixes and as many fours.
Kumar Kushagra (0) came in at number three but was dismissed on the first ball. Easwaran then partnered with Sudip Kumar to add 38 runs for the third wicket, pushing the team towards a double century. Easwaran scored 69 runs off 106 balls, hitting 8 fours, while Sudip made 25 runs with 5 boundaries. Harsh Dubey was the standout bowler for Central Zone, taking 4 wickets for 63 runs, while Aryan Pandey and Yash Thakur picked up 3 wickets each.
On the second day, Central Zone began their second innings and faced 20 overs, scoring only 43 runs while losing 3 wickets. They suffered an early blow at just 6 runs when Kunal Chandela (2) was dismissed. Aryan Juyal then added 23 runs with Aman Mokhade for the second wicket.
Aryan scored 8 runs off 21 balls before getting out, and the team also lost captain Rajat Patidar (5). By the end of the day, Aman was on 23 runs, and Aryan Pandey had 4 runs to his name. Mukesh Kumar took 2 wickets, while Mohammad Shami claimed 1 wicket for the opposition.
Leave a Comment