Shami is over the moon after pulling off a brilliant return catch to send back Harsh.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
For a second game running, East Zone wrapped up victory inside three days, beating Central Zone by four wickets to enter the Duleep Trophy final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here on Tuesday.
Set 159 to win, East rode on another high-impact knock from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (40, 43b, 3×4, 2×6) before skipper Ishan Kishan (39 n.o., 41b, 4×4, 1×6) carried the team home.
Sooryavanshi was not as aggressive as in the first essay, taking 37 balls to reach 22. But in the 14th over, he took off, hitting Yash Thakur for three fours and a six.
The maximum was also his best shot of the innings — a lofted drive over mid-off, with the 15-year-old holding his pose like a top-draw fashion icon.
It took a superb diving catch from Rajat Patidar — in the same Yash Thakur over — to end Sooryavanshi’s innings, with the Central Zone captain running more than 25 yards sidewards from mid-on.
Patidar comes up with a spectacular catch to cut short Sooryavanshi’s innings.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
But by then, Sooryavanshi had added 61 for the opening wicket with Abhimanyu Easwaran (24, 55b, 1×6), a foundation very difficult to falter from.
Earlier, Central, from an overnight 45 for three, was reduced to 97 for eight. But Harsh Dubey (24, 51b, 3×4) and Arshad Khan (25, 36b, 2×4, 1×6) frustrated East by combining for a 43-run ninth-wicket partnership.
It was the tireless Mohammed Shami (three for 56) who provided the breakthrough, coming up with a brilliant, ankle-high caught-and-bowled effort to send Harsh back.
Arshad departed soon, with his sweep off Anukul Roy resulting in the red cherry getting stuck between the helmet grill and the neck of short-leg fielder Sudip Gharami.
On the adjacent ground, North Zone refused to surrender like Central, ending day three on 256 for seven and leading South by 139 runs.
South added 27 runs to its overnight score to finish on 312. But a spirited batting performance from the Delhi duo of Sanat Sangwan (76, 148b, 8×4) and Ayush Doseja (52, 76b, 5×4) ensured that their opponent’s 117-run first-innings lead wouldn’t prove crushing.
South pacer Vidwath Kaverappa missed the post-tea session after injuring his left leg while bowling. Tilak Varma will hope that his fast-bowling mainstay is available on the final morning if North threatens to turn the tide.
The scores: North Zone 195 & 256/7 in 66 overs (Sanat Sangwan 76, Ayush Doseja 52) vs. South Zone 312 in 100.3 overs (Tilak Varma 116 n.o., Shreyas Gopal 87, Gurnoor Brar 4/88).
Central Zone 266 & 158 in 50.2 overs (Aman Mokhade 41, Mukesh Kumar 4/44) lost to East Zone 266 & 162/6 in 39.3 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 40, Harsh Dubey 4/53).
Published – September 01, 2026 07:12 pm IST
