- By Namrata Vijay
- Fri, 12 Sep 2025 05:05 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Duleep Trophy Final 2025: Rajat Patidar scored a brilliant hundred on Day 2 of the Duleep Trophy summit clash in Bengaluru on Friday. On the back of his innings and a brilliant partnership with Yash Rathod, Central Zone is in a commanding position against South Zone. Rathod had also scored a century during the last session and extended their lead beyond the 150-run mark.
Post bundling South Zone out for just 149 runs on Day 1, Central Zone had a flying start by not losing a single wicket till stumps. But during the first session on Day 2, the South Zone bowlers bounced back and left Central Zone reeling at 93/3, and at one point it looked as if the match had slipped away from the Central Zone. And that's when Yash and Rajat took the opposition bowlers to the cleaners.
They scored runs quickly and stitched a partnership of 167 runs for the fourth wicket and smashed balls to all corners of the park. Patidar scored a brilliant knock of 101 runs, in which he had smashed 12 fours and two sixes under his kitty. Gurjapneet Singh had dismissed him as wicketkeeper; Mohammed Azharuddeen took the catch.
Yash Rathod is going strong in the final
Post Rajat Patidar's dismissal, Rathod held the innings from one end and didn't slow down even when Upendra Yadav got out. Saransh Jain, who took a brilliant five-for, assisted Rathod, who played brilliant shots and brought up his hundred off 132 balls, in which he had smashed nine fours under his kitty. Since their lead was extended to 200 runs during the first innings, Central Zone will try to bat South Zone out in the summit clash.
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During the second innings, the Mohammed Azharuddeen-led team will face a daunting task to bounce back or ensure that the match ends in a tie. With three days remaining, this looks quite impossible for them.