Duleep Trophy, final: South Zone need 375 runs to win
West Zone's Yashasvi Jaiswal (265) and Sarfaraz Khan (127*) proved to be a handful for South Zone on Day 4 of the Duleep Trophy final. Resuming from 376/3, West Zone rallied themselves to 585/4d. In response, South Zone have been reduced to 154/6, comprising a counter-attacking knock from Rohan Kunnummal (93). South Zone need 375 runs to win the finale. Here's more.
Yashasvi's purple patch continues
Resuming Day 4 on 209*, Yashasvi raced to his highest score in FC cricket before Krishnappa Gowtham got him out stumped. The 20-year-old smacked a 323-ball 265, belting 30 fours and four sixes. Notably, it's also his second double century in FC cricket. Yashasvi piloted West Zone past 480 by fetching a formidable-looking 164-run stand with Sarfaraz for the fourth wicket.
Sarfaraz, Het up the ante
Sarfaraz, who hammered a ton in the Ranji Trophy final, put his clutch gene to notice once again. The Run Machine fetched a 178-ball 127*, hitting 11 fours and two sixes. He was later joined by wicket-keeper Het Patel, who doled out a hostile 51* off 61 deliveries. The duo added 103 runs for the fifth wicket before declaring the innings.
Kunnummal bashes West Zone left, right, and center
Kunnummal lately became the first Kerela cricketer to smash a century in the Duleep Trophy. Kunnummal, who scored 31 early on, was a class act on Day 4. With a 529-run target overhead and wickets falling frequently, the opener belted a 100-ball 93 (6s: 1, 4s: 14). He missed out on his 5th FC ton, but the knock deserves every bit of appreciation.
An eventful day for West Zone bowlers
West Zone's bowlers made light work of South Zone's top and middle order to inch closer to a win. Jaydev Unadkat, who bagged a four-fer in the first innings, got the first breakthrough in Mayank Agarwal (14). Right-arm medium Atit Sheth followed with wickets in back-to-back overs. Unadkat trapped Manish Pandey (14) before Shams Mulani garnered two wickets in his kitty on Day 4.
