Duleep Trophy Final: The Central Zone, led by Rajat Patidar, is in close quarters of a grand-fashioned win to secure the Duleep Trophy Championship title.
The South Zone summed up the day four play with the fall of their final wicket.
Kumar Kartikeya’s clinical four-wicket haul rattled the South Zone batters during their second innings to keep it breezy for the Central Zone to pick up a win. CEZ could seize a win by scoring 65 runs on the final day of the summit clash in Bengaluru.
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Day four opened with Ravichandran Smaran and Ricky Bhui continuing the attack and putting up some numbers with their partnership. Smaran was dismissed at 67, while Bhui fell five runs short of a well-deserved half-century.
Captain Mohammed Azharuddeen stood for a 40-ball knock, scoring 27 runs, while Salman Nizar was taken down at just 12 runs.
C Andre Siddarth and Ankit Sharma carried out a tremendous rescue effort, keeping the hopes of South Zone alive. Siddarth pulled off an unbeaten 190-ball 84, while Ankit fell short of a well-deserved ton, scoring 99 off 168 balls.
The lower order barely contributed to the score and were eventually bowled out at 426.
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Kumar Kartikeya did wonders by pulling off a four-wicket haul, and Saransh Jain offered ample contribution with a three-wicket haul of his own.
Deepak Chahar and Kuldeep Sen also picked a wicket each to shake up the South Zone batters.
For the Rajat Patidar-led side, victory is just 65 runs away from them, as they seized a chokehold on their opposition.
Day five would be an interesting affair as the South Zone bowlers would be raring for some action. On the other hand, the Central Zone batters would be careful with their approach to secure the win.
Day five of the Duleep Trophy Final will begin at 09:30 AM IST.