Duleep Trophy semis, Day 2: NZone-SZone clash hanging in balance
The ongoing second Duleep Trophy semi-final between North Zone and South Zone is hanging in balance. SZone could only manage 195 after restricting NZone to 198 in the first innings. The total would have been even lower had Mayank Agarwal not smoked an important 76. Meanwhile, NZone were 51/2 at stumps on Day 2, having extended their lead to 54 runs. Here is more.
Summary of the second day's play
South Zone resumed at their overnight score of 63/4, with Agarwal and Tilak Varma (46) in the middle. The two batters led their side's fightback with a century stand. They added 110 runs for the fifth wicket. However, once they were dismissed, the tail was wrapped pretty swiftly. Meanwhile, NZone lost opener Dhruv Shorey (5) cheaply in their second innings.
Agarwal stands out with a remarkable fifty
Agarwal's battle started on the final session of Day 1. While four of SZone's top-five batters could not enter double digits, Agarwal batted with precision. He showcased remarkable intent and ended up scoring 76 off 115 balls (10 fours). This was his 38th FC fifty as the tally includes 15 tons. Besides him, Tilak made a 101-ball 46 (5 fours, 1 six).
A comprehensive show from NZone's bowlers
NZone operated with four bowlers and none of them allowed the opposition to breathe easy. While pacer Vaibhav Arora (3/57) and skipper Jayant Yadav (3/38) claimed three-wicket hauls, Baltej Singh (2/40) and Harshit Rana (2/41) claimed two wickets apiece. SZone could only survive 54.4 overs in their first innings.
NZone's second innings so far
As mentioned, NZone lost Shorey cheaply in their second innings as pacer Vijaykumar Vyshak got the better of him. However, Prashant Chopra (19) and Ankit Kalsi (21*) steadied the ship before the former departed. Kalsi then joined wicket-keeper Prabhsimran Singh (6*) and the duo ensured that there were no more casualties. Notably, the day's play was significantly affected by rain and bad light.
