India left-handed batter Yashasvi Jaiswal's half-century went in vain as Central Zone qualified for the Duldeep Trophy 2025 final following a huge first-innings lead in their drawn clash against West Zone on Sunday. The Central Zone will face the South Zone in the final, which will start from September 11
After ending Day 3 at 556 for eight, Central went on to post a massive 600 in their first innings. Saransh Jain scored an unbeaten 63 to add more to their total. While chasing, West Zone reached 216 for 8 in their second innings when both teams decided to call it a draw.
West Zone captain Shadul Thakur failed to perform as he was dismissed for six runs before tea, with Tanush Kotian (40*) still at the crease. With a mere chance of a result and the match going nowhere, the captains shook hands to bring the game to a close.
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Jaiswal was the standout performer for West in the second innings, scoring a quickfire 64 off just 70 balls. It was his first outing since the five-Test match series of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 against England. He was in fine touch, smashing boundaries at regular intervals. However, his aggressive batting led to dismissal after playing an ugly slog against left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey (3/96), bringing his innings to an end.
Shreyas Iyer, who came to bat at number seven unable to make an impact. He was dismissed after scoring just 12 runs before falling to off-spinner Saransh Jain (5/84). This was his second failure in the match, a concern ahead of his India A captaincy role against Australia A later this month.
Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who smashed a century in the first inning, again flexed his form in the second, smashing two maximums. However, he was unable to stay long as Shivam Dube got him out for 16.
After losing six wickets on 168 runs, West were dependent on their lower order. Kotian, Tushar Deshpande and Thakur tried to fight back, but Central’s bowlers kept the pressure on. Deshpande eventually fell to Jain, caught at mid-wicket by Rajat Patidar.
Despite having West on the ropes with just two wickets remaining and a small lead of 54, Central didn’t push hard for an outright win, possibly to avoid risking fatigue ahead of the final.
Thakur, speaking after the match, admitted that his side could have batted better in the first innings, where they were all out for 438.
“There were a few poor shot selections on Day 1 which cost us momentum,” Thakur said. “Ruturaj brought us back into the game, and my partnership with Tanush was important too. But my run-out was a turning point. If we had gotten to 500, things could’ve been different. We also dropped some catches and missed a few close chances.”
As both South and Central prepare for the finale, few players will miss the clash from each side, including N Jagadeesan, Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed, as they have been picked for India A’s upcoming red-ball games against Australia A. India A squad will assemble in Lucknow on September 12, a day after the Duleep final begins.