South Zone has advanced to the Duleep Trophy 2025 final after notching up a decisive first-innings lead over North Zone in the semifinal clash held at the BCCI COE Ground 1, which saw exceptional performances from several key players. South Zone's vice-captain and wicketkeeper-batter N Jagadeesan was their standout performer with the bat, having scored 197 in the first and an unbeaten 52 in the second innings. The bowling attack, led by pacer Gurjapneet Singh (4-96) and Nidheesh MD (3-82), was instrumental in bowling out North Zone for 361, giving South Zone a crucial 175-run lead.
South Zone in Duleep Trophy final
On the final day, South Zone wasted no time in making their mark. V Koushik dismissed centurion Shubham Khajuria for 128 early on. Despite this setback, Sahil Lotra and Mayank Dagar fought back with an aggressive 47-run partnership off just 60 balls. Their counterattack was not without risk, as Lotra narrowly escaped a run-out after a mix-up, with a direct hit from Jagadeesan just missing the stumps.
The resilient partnership between Sahil Lotra and Mayank Dagar was eventually broken by Kerala pacer Nidheesh MD, who first bowled Lotra and then had Dagar chop the ball onto his stumps. Spinner Tanay Thyagarajan dismissed Yudhvir Singh, and Gurjapneet sealed the innings by getting Auqib Nabi out, securing a crucial first-innings lead for South Zone.
By lunchtime, South Zone's openers, Jagadeesan and Tanmay Agarwal, had extended their lead to over 200, scoring 33 runs in seven overs. Soon after the break, Agarwal was bowled by Nabi for 13. However, Jagadeesan, fresh off his call-up to the India A team, continued to bat fluently. His unbeaten knock of 52 came off just 69 balls and included six boundaries, ensuring South Zone's dominant entry into the final.
In the title clash, South Zone will lock horns with Central Zone who also sealed the final berth on the basis of first innings lead over West Zone in the semifinal match.
Brief Scores: South Zone 536 and 95/1 in 24.2 overs (N Jagadeesan 52 not out; Auqib Nabi 1-23) drew with North Zone 361 in 100.1 overs (Shubham Khajuria 128, Nishant Sindhu 82; Gurjapneet Singh 4-96, Nidheesh MD 3-82)