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

Central Zone overcame a few hiccups to defeat South Zone by six wickets on the final day of their Duleep Trophy summit clash here on Monday.

Needing 65 runs to lay claim to the title, Central lost four wickets but managed to reach the target in the morning session. This was Central’s first Duleep Trophy triumph since the Piyush Chawla-led side took top honours in the 2014-15 edition.

Having posted a massive 511 in the first essay, Central stayed in the driver’s seat for a majority of the match. South will rue an abysmal batting performance 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 should have displayed more caution 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 said, 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 finished as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament (16 wickets), and also contributed with two crucial fifties with the bat.

The 32-year-old is happy to have started the domestic season with a good showing. “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 said.

Performances on this stage is sure to be noticed by the national 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 said.

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