Ankit Sharma led South Zone’s fightback along with Andre Siddarth on the fourth day of the Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR K
Ankit Sharma (99, 168b, 13×4, 1×6) and Andre Siddarth (84 n.o., 190b, 7×4) nearly scripted an incredible comeback for South Zone, but a spate of late wickets allowed Central Zone to keep a firm grip on proceedings.
On the fourth day of the Duleep Trophy summit clash at the BCCI CoE Ground (1), Ankit and Andre batted for nearly four hours to create panic in the Central camp.
From facing an innings defeat at 222 for six, Ankit and Andre provided dogged resistance for 55 overs, handing South an improbable lead of 52 runs.
It all changed when Ankit was dismissed. After blocking a couple of deliveries from left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya, Ankit lost the plot and spooned a flighted ball to mid-wicket.
Central’s long wait for a wicket ended, and a few overs later, South was dismissed for 426.
On Monday, Central has the easy task of knocking off the 65-run target.
South’s hopes of claiming a draw, or even fighting for a win, were raised when Ankit and Andre put on a 192-run seventh-wicket stand. Ankit, who made his senior debut for Madhya Pradesh but now plies his trade for Pondicherry, showed positive intent.
Andre Siddarth’s partnership with Ankit helped South Zone put up a dogged resistance.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
Tamil Nadu teenager Andre, just a year into his First Class career, put his head down and shut shop. With a cool mind and relaxed demeanour, the youngster looked completely at ease in a tough setting.
As the hours went by, the Central team slowly began to lose belief. Captain Rajat Patidar went on the defensive, spreading the field and inviting the easy singles. Ankit and Andre made up for the damage done in the morning session.
R. Smaran (67), Ricky Bhui (45), Mohammed Azharuddeen (27) and Salman Nizar (12) all threw away their wickets to give Central the upper hand.
Smaran, in particular, would be disappointed to have fallen while trying to force the pace, sweeping a delivery from outside off- stump to the hands of deep square-leg.
The scores: South Zone 149 & 426 in 121 overs (Mohit Kale 38, R. Smaran 67, Ricky Bhui 45, Andre Siddarth 84 n.o., Ankit Sharma 99, Kumar Kartikeya 4/110, Saransh Jain 3/130) vs Central Zone 511.
Published – September 14, 2025 10:55 pm IST