Deodhar Trophy 2023: Heroics of Panchal, Kaverappa headline Day 1
The opening day of the 2023 Deodhar Trophy had three matches, and all three were one-sided. West Zone outclassed North East Zone, whereas East Zone got the better of the Central Zone. Lastly, South Zone thrashed North Zone in their opening clashes. While WZone won by nine wickets, EZone triumphed by six wickets. SZone defeated NZone by 185 runs. Here's more.
WZone outclass NEZone
WZ won the toss and invited NEZone to bat. Most of the NEZone batters had starts but couldn't convert them into big scores. They were wrapped up for 207. Arzan Nagwaswalla was the star with 3/31, while Shams Mulani and Shivam Dube scalped two wickets each. In reply, Priyank Panchal and Harvik Desai slammed fifties and stitched a 167-run stand to steer WZone home.
Match-winning knock from Panchal
Panchal hammered a 69-ball 99 to steer his team to victory. He slammed his 20th List A fifty. His 99* was laced with seven boundaries and as many sixes. He added 167 runs with fellow opener Desai (85) and finished off the rest with Rahul Tripathi (13*). Overall, Panchal has raced to 3,378 runs in 87 List A matches. His average is above 40.
Desai played a steady knock
Desai also complimented Panchal brilliantly as the duo did the bulk of the scoring while chasing 208. Harvik's knock of 71-ball 85 was studded with 14 boundaries. Overall, he has amassed 868 List A runs in 29 matches at 31 (50s: 5, 100s: 3).
EZone defeat CZone by six wickets
EZone won the toss and invited CZone to bat and were soon reduced to 68/3. CZone kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Rinku Singh top-scored for them with a 54 as they were wrapped up for 207. Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Deep, and Manisankar Murasingh scalped three wickets each. In reply, EZone chased the target down in 46.1 overs, courtesy of Utkarsh Singh's 89-run knock.
Match-defining knock from Utkarsh
Utkarsh was the star of the show for EZone as they won the match by six wickets against CZone. The youngster showcased tremendous temperament to score a splendid 104-ball 89. He added 91 runs with Abhimanyu Easwaran which gave others the platform to complete the run-chase. Utkarsh raced to 1,010 runs in 33 List A matches at 38.84 (50s: 8, 100s: 2).
Shahbaz, Akash, and Murasingh rattled CZone
EZone bowled exceptionally well as Shahbaz, Akash Deep and Murasingh scalped nine wickets between them. Shahbaz finished with 3/30, Akash Deep scalped 3/35, while Murasingh claimed 3/29. While Shahbaz scalped 41 List A wickets, Akash and Murasingh claimed 28 and 72 wickets respectively.
SZone thrash NZone in their opening clash
SZone had a flying start with Rohan Kunnummal (71), and Mayank Agarwal (64) adding 117 runs together. Later, Narayan Jagadeesan slammed a 72 to help them post 303/8. In reply, Vidwath Kaverappa reduced NZone to only 18/3 inside five overs. Eventually, Kaverappa finished with figures of 5/17 as NZone were bundled for 60. SZone registered a massive 185-run triumph (DLS method) despite incessant rain.
A captain's knock from Agarwal
Agarwal played a captain's knock as he slammed a 68-ball 64. He registered his 19th List A fifty, a knock that consisted of seven boundaries. He added 117 runs with Kunnummal as SZone posted a big score. Overall, he has amassed 4,360 runs in 99 List A matches at an average in excess of 45. Besides 19 fifties, he has hammered 13 centuries.
Kunnummal and Jagadeesan slammed impressive fifties
Kunnummal handed SZone a blazing start as he slammed a 61-ball 70. He paired up with Agarwal and as his partner consolidated, Kunnammal went for the shots. This was his four List A fifty, having amassed 787 runs in 17 matches. Jagadeesan clobbered 66-ball 72 to take the SZone cross the 300-run mark. Overall, he has compiled 2,162 runs in 45 List A matches.
A sensational spell from Kaverappa
NZone batters were blown away by Kaverappa's sensational spell. He claimed the first four wickets of the NZone batting lineup in his first three overs. The speedster reduced NZone to only 19/4. He removed Abhishek Sharma first, followed by wickets of Shubham Khajuria, Prabhsimran Singh, Nitish Rana, and Sandeep Sharma. Kaverappa finished with career-best List A figures of 5/17 in six overs (maiden fifer).
Points table after opening day
SZone's 185-run triumph have propelled them to the top spot with four points and an NRR of +6.607. WZone are second with four points and an NRR of +4.125 followed by EZone (two points). After five rounds, the top-two teams will play in the finals.
