Deodhar Trophy: South Zone beat East Zone, extend unbeaten run
South Zone claimed another victory in the ongoing Deodhar Trophy, this time against East Zone in Puducherry. The Mayank Agarwal-led side comfortably chased down 230 (44.2 overs) and won by five wickets. Skipper Mayank starred in their victory with an 84-run knock. Meanwhile, Sai Sudharsan slammed a pivotal 53. Earlier, Vasuki Koushik and Sai Kishore took three wickets each as EZONE perished for 229.
How did the match pan out?
EZONE, batting first, lost Abhimanyu Easwaran departed early (22/1). Virat Singh (49) and Subhranshu Senapati (44) took them past 100. EZONE suffered a collapse and were reduced to 143/8 thereafter. However, they reached 229 with contributions from Mukhtar Hussain and Akash Deep. SZONE also had a patchy start, but Mayank and Sudharsan steadied the ship. N Jagadeesan and Rohit Rayudu then paved their way.
Another composed knock from Mayank
Chasing 230, South Zone lost their first wicket in the form of Rohan Kunnummal at 47/1. Mayank then propelled his side past 100 along with top-order batter Sai Sudharsan (53). The South Zone skipper ended up scoring 84 off 88 balls with the help of six boundaries and a maximum. As mentioned, it was his 21st fifty in the format.
Mayank completes 4,500 List A runs
Mayank made his List A debut for his state team Karnataka in the 2012 Vijay Hazare Trophy. He did not take long in becoming a vital part of the team. The right-handed batter has now raced to 4,574 runs in 102 games with his average being over 46. His strike rate is 98-plus. Mayank's tally includes 13 tons and 21 fifties (Highest score: 176).
Sudharsan assists Mayank
While Mayank grabbed the eyeballs, Sudharsan complimented him after they lost Kunnummal in the eighth over. Sudharsan and Mayank amassed 118 runs together, making it a comfortable chase for their team. Both the batters perished around the 29th-over mark one after another. Sudharsan fell prey to Shahbaz Ahmed, as the spinner knocked him over. The former smashed a 67-ball 54 (4 boundaries, 1 six).
Only unbeaten side in Deodhar Trophy 2023
South Zone remain the only unbeaten side in the ongoing Deodhar Trophy. They have won each of their four matches and top the table with 16 points and a Net Run Rate of +2.290. East Zone follow them with 12 points.
