Deodhar Trophy final: Ton-up Rohan guides South Zone to 328/8
South Zone racked up 328/8 against East Zone in the 2023 Deodhar Trophy final at the Cricket Association Puducherry Siechem Ground. A 107-run knock from opener Rohan Kunnummal set the tone of their innings. While skipper Mayank Agarwal scored another fifty, N Jagadeesan added the finishing touch with a composed half-century. Shahbaz Ahmed, Riyan Parag, and Utkarsh Singh took two wickets each.
A quickfire ton from 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.
Highest run-scorer of Deodhar Trophy 2023
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. He 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.
What about the bowlers?
Off-spinner Utkarsh Singh was the pick of East Zone's bowlers. He took two wickets and conceded 50 runs in 10 overs. Shahbaz and Riyan also scalped two wickets apiece but were a touch expensive. The former conceded 55 runs, while Riyan leaked 68 runs. Manisankar Murasingh and Akash Deep chipped in with a wicket each.
Only unbeaten side so far
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.
