Duleep Trophy 2022: Meet the four semi-finalists
Duleep Trophy 2022 has reached its business end. And, we have the four semi-finalists eager to cross swords. Ajinkya Rahane-led West Zone will be up against Central Zone in Coimbatore. Meanwhile, Mandeep Singh-captained North Zone will square off against South Zone in Salem. The four-day affairs will commence on September 15, with the finale scheduled for September 21 in Coimbatore. Here are further details.
West Zone trounce North East Zone
West Zone smacked 590/2d after being put to bat. Double tons from Yashasvi Jaiswal (228) and Rahane (207*) lit up Chennai. The pair fetched a 333-run stand to toil the rivals. Pacers Chintan Gaja (4/38) and Jaydev Unadkat (3/35) shone as North East Zone folded on 235. They managed 268/5 in 2nd innings, however, West Zone advanced further due to the first innings lead.
North Zone book a semi-final berth
Put to bat, East Zone hoarded 397, riding on Virat Singh's 117. Seamer Navdeep Saini claimed a three-fer for North Zone. Later, a Yash Dhull masterclass (243-ball 193) saw them hammer a colossal 545. Slow left-arm orthodox Shahbaz Ahmed (5/86) dazzled for Manoj Tiwary's men. East Zone then compiled 102/3 in the second innings, but North Zone progressed due to the first innings lead.
Central, South Zones to play semi-finals straightaway
As per the Duleep Trophy fixtures, Central Zone and South Zone didn't participate in the quarter-finals and will directly play in the semi-finals.
Hanuma Vihari to lead South Zone
South Zone squad: Hanuma Vihari (c), Mayank Agarwal (vc), Basil Thampi, Ricky Bhui, Lakshay Garg, Krishanappa Gowtham, Baba Indrajith, Eknath Kerkar, Rohan Kunnummal, Devdutt Padikkal, Manish Pandey, Ravi Teja, R Sai Kishore, Tanay Thyagarajan, Cheepurapalli Stephen.
Karan Sharma to captain Central Zone
Central Zone squad: Karan Sharma (c), Shubham Sharma (vc), Ankit Choudhary, Deepak Dhapola, Yash Dubey, Priyam Garg, Gaurav Yadav, Venkatesh Iyer, Kumar Kartikeya, Himanshu Mantri, Ashok Menaria, Ankit Rajpoot, Aditya Sarwate, Rinku Singh, Akshay Wadkar.
How did 2019 Duleep Trophy final pan out?
In the 2019 Duleep Trophy final, India Red beat India Green by an innings and 38 runs. Abhimanyu Easwaran, who scored a scintillating 153, was adjudged the Player of the Match. Akshay Wakhare took a five-for in just 5.5 overs.
