Unbeaten South Zone beat East Zone to win Deodhar Trophy
The dominant South Zone beat East Zone in a thrilling final to win the 2023 Deodhar Trophy. They successfully defended 328, bowling out East Zone for 283. All-rounder Washington Sundar took a match-winning three-wicket haul. Meanwhile, Riyan Parag's brilliant 95(65) went in vain. Earlier, a century partnership between openers ton-up Rohan Kunnummal and Mayank Agarwal set the tone of South Zone's innings.
How did the match pan out?
Batting first, SZONE destroyed EZONE's bowling attack as Mayank and Rohan added 181 runs. N Jagadeesan kept them afloat after the duo departed in quick succession. Sai Kishore's 24*-run cameo guided SZONE to 328/8 in 50 overs. EZONE suffered a top-order collapse as they were tottering on 14/3. Riyan and Kumar Kushagra took them from 115/5 to 220. However, they fell 45 runs short.
Riyan stars with his all-round skills
Although Riyan ended up on the losing side, he was a star performer. Riyan, who bowls off-spin, took two wickets in the first innings. He rescued the East Zone with the bat, having smashed a 65-ball 95 (8 fours, 5 sixes). This was his third 50+ score of Deodhar Trophy 2023. However, he couldn't get East Zone over the line.
Most runs in Deodhar Trophy 2023
Another half-century catapulted Riyan to the top of the run-scoring chart. The youngster finished as the highest run-scorer of Deodhar Trophy. Riyan smashed 354 runs from five matches at an incredible average of 88.50. His strike rate of 136.67 stood out.
Third List A ton for Rohan
Rohan and Mayank got South Zone off to a positive start, having shared a 181-run stand. The former went on to smash a quickfire century, his third in List A cricket. Rohan, who has been on song, 107 off 75 balls, a knock laced with 11 fours and 4 sixes. He finished with a staggering strike rate of 142.67.
Another half-century from Mayank's blade
South Zone skipper Mayank, who seems to be enjoying his purple patch, smashed his fourth fifty of the ongoing tournament. He played second fiddle with Rohan and slammed an 83-ball 64 (4 fours). With this knock, Mayank became the leading run-scorer of Deodhar Trophy 2023 before Riyan overtook him. Mayank finished the tournament with 341 runs from five matches at an average of 68.20.
Jagadeesan steadies the ship
N Jagadeesan steadied the ship after South Zone lost both Rohan and Mayank in quick succession. He stitched crucial partnerships with Sai Sudharsan and Rohit Rayudu. Jagadeesan, who smashed a 60-ball 54, took South Zone past 300 before getting dismissed. He struck two fours and a solitary six in his knock. It was Jagadeesan's eighth half-century in List A cricket.
The invincible South Zone
South Zone entered the final as the only unbeaten side in the tournament so far. They earned back-to-back wins over North Zone, West Zone, North East Zone, East Zone, and Central Zone. The Mayank-led side topped the table with five wins and 20 points, as well as a Net Run Rate of +1.844.
