Duleep Trophy semifinal: N Jagadeesan's 197 takes South Zone to mammoth 536 against North Zone on Day 2 despite Nishant Sindhu's fifer

South Zone's Narayan Jagadeesan continued his rampage with a marathon 197-run knock on Day 2 of the Duleep Trophy clash against North Zone on Friday, September 5 before his hopes for a double century were dashed by wrecker-in-chief Nishant Sindhu. It was Jagadeesan's solid 197 which propelled South Zone to a colossal total of 536 before getting bowled out by the end of Day 1's play.

N Jagadeesan's 197 lifts South Zone to 536 on Day 2 

The Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper-batter began the day at 148 runs. Jagadeesan fought his way to 197 runs before narrowly missing out on his double century. However, his impressive knock put South Zone in a strong position, and the lower-order batters provided solid support. Jagadeesan's innings of 197 came off 352 deliveries and included 16 fours and two sixes before his innings haplessly ended.

The 29-year-old was left stranded at 197 when Nishant Sandhu affected his run out and denied Jagadeesan a well-deserved century. A double ton would have been his third in First-Class cricket, but he just missed out on joining the exclusive list of only 10 batters who have scored a double ton for South Zone. His highest score remains 321, a milestone he achieved against Chandigarh during the Ranji Trophy in 2024.

Jagadeesan's impressive knock continued his excellent run of form. Last season, he accumulated 674 runs in 13 innings during the Ranji Trophy, averaging 56 with two centuries and five half-centuries. His strong performances even earned him a call-up to the Indian team as a replacement for Rishabh Pant for the fifth Test on the tour of England.

Although both Kale (15) and skipper Azharuddeen (11) were dismissed early, Ricky Bhui contributed a useful 54-run knock. Bhui and Tanay Thyagrajan (58) frustrated the North Zone bowlers with their efforts. South Zone was eventually bowled out for 536 runs, bringing the day's play to a close.

Sindhu was a bright spot for North Zone, finishing with an impressive five-wicket haul. The spinner, who had already taken two wickets on Day 1, added three more to his tally. His victims on Day 2 included the half-centurion Ricky Bhui and tailenders Gurjapneet Singh and Vasuki Koushik.