Vaibhav and Pace Bowlers Power East Zone Past Defending Champions Central Zone into Duleep Final
Bengaluru: East Zone defeated defending champions Central Zone by four wickets on Tuesday, winning their four-day Duleep Trophy semi-final on the third day itself and storming into the final. East Zone had last won the Duleep Trophy title in 2012-’13.
Under the captaincy of Ishan Kishan, East Zone were set a target of 159 runs, which they chased down for the loss of six wickets. Vice-captain Vaibhav Suryavanshi, who had scored 92 runs in the first innings with seven sixes and seven fours, made a useful contribution of 40 in the second innings.
Captain Ishan Kishan remained unbeaten on 39. East Zone’s two pace bowlers, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar, took a combined 12 wickets in the match. The Central Zone side, led by Rajat Patidar, featured Indian players Rinku Singh and Saransh Jain, along with another well-known player, Yash Thakur.
In the final, East Zone will face either South Zone or North Zone. In the second semi-final, North Zone were leading South Zone by 139 runs in their second innings.