Welcome to HIGHLIGHTS of day 3 of the Duleep Trophy final at the SNR College Cricket Ground in Coimbatore. This was Abhishek Saini, bringing you all the updates.
West Zone would be a happy team today. It took just 13 deliveries in the morning session to wrap up the South Zone tail. Panchal and Jaiswal got off to a sublime start and stitched a 100-run partnership. Rahane was the only let down of the day when he was caught leg before off Gowtham’s delivery. As Jaiswal continued his onslaught from one end, Iyer acted as the able deputy and made sure the run rate never dropped below 4 runs per over. After Sai Kishore got Iyer, Sarfaraz took the baton and ensured the momentum did not shift in South Zone’s favour.
Day 4 will be vital in terms of the timing of West Zone’s declaration. The side remains behind in first innings lead criterion and Rahane will have to find the right time to declare so as to give his bowlers enough time to seal the contest.
COMMENTARY
WEST ZONE - 2ND INNINGS
Stumps update - West Zone 376/3 in 85 overs: Sarfaraz and Jaiswal comfortably see out the final phases of the day’s play. South opts not to take a new ball and hands the affair in the hands of part-time bowlers like Kunnummal and Vihari. West Zone’s day, without a doubt. Jaiswal with his innings, and support from Iyer, has placed West in the driver’s seat. The lead is 319 runs and will only increase on Day 4. The dropped shoulder in the South Zone group given an indication of the day’s play.
West Zone 364/3: Jaiswal scores a double century! He sees the delivery tossed up, he steps out, makes room and heaves the ball over covers for a four. Reaches the landmark in 235 deliveries.
West Zone 358/3 in 79 overs: Jaiswal with his trademark late cuts on successive deliveries gets two fours, and moves to 196 runs. Sarfaraz, in the next over, helps the ball down leg for another boundary. A flurry of runs in the last two overs. Sai Kishore’s delivery bounces sharply and Sarfaraz jabs at it with one hand. The balls ends up beating the slip fielder and running away for a four. West Zone’s lead clears 300 runs.
West Zone 339/3 in 76 overs: Another mix up with the running between Jaiswal and Sarfaraz but the fielding was sloppy and the batters escape. The scoring rate falls a tad lower but the batters are gathering singles. Sarfaraz gathers his first boundary with an inside-out shot along the ground.
West Zone 327/3 in 72 overs: Sarfaraz Khan is the new man in and he is greeted by some of the uneven bounce on the pitch. The Mumbai batter, nonetheless, picks out the gaps to chip in two doubles. Jaiswal tries to sneak a quick single but is sent back by his partner. The string of dot balls continues for Jaiswal in the next over.
West Zone 318/3: A wicket for South Zone! Iyer tries to heave the ball for a boundary with an inside out stroke. Sai Kishore has a man placed for that exact shot at deep extra covers. Ravi Teja runs in a few yards and takes the catch with a dive. Some respite for South Zone.
West Zone 317/2 in 68 overs: Sai Kishore pitches on short and Iyer rocks back and punishes the delivery for a maximum. The lead over 250 now. A string of dot balls for Jaiswal. He tries an array of shots but none yields a run for the southpaw batting on 178. A boundary comes after 19 balls when Gowtham loses his line and Iyer guides the ball on its way down leg.
West Zone 302/2 in 64 overs: Thampi decides to use a bouncer on Iyer but the ball is old and soft, and fails to test Iyer. He stands tall and hooks it for a four. Another short ball by Thampi but Iyer comfortably guides it to deep mid wicket for a single. A reprieve for Iyer. He attempts a sweep which goes aerial. Kunnummal at square leg jumps and gets a hand on the ball. He is unable to latch onto the ball but stops a certain boundary.
West Zone 293/2 in 62 overs: Jaiswal resumes from where he left. He paddle sweeps Gowtham to a boundary and moves to 170 runs. Umpires signals a no ball as three fielders are standing behind square. Without really aggressing, West Zone has accumulated 15 runs by just stroking the ball for singles. Iyer tries a brave shot to get to his 50. He mistimes but the ball lands short of deep mid wicket fielder, allowing Iyer to reach 50.
Basil Thampi starts the proceedings in the third session.
Tea Update - West Zone 274/2 in 58 overs: Yashasvi Jaiswal has played some sublime shots on his way to a 150. Panchal and Rahane were dismissed for West Zone but Iyer at number four ensured the run rate never dropped. 145 runs came off the second session at a run rate of more than 5 runs per over. West Zone’s lead is at 217 runs. A similar approach in the third session and South Zone can wave goodbye to their hopes of lifting the Duleep Trophy.
West Zone 249/2 in 53 overs: Shreyas Iyer joins the party, attacking C.V. Stephen. He first flicks a delivery on his pads to past mid wicket to complete three runs. Then he heaves a good length delivery to the deep extra cover boundary to collect four runs. A single off Sai Kishore gets the duo’s partnership to 100 runs.
West Zone 238/2 in 51 overs: Jaiswal premeditates and switches his stance before Sai Kishore lands the delivery. Such is his form today that he middles the shot and finds the fence. He follows that up with a double. Stephen, who has bowled just three overs, is brought into the attack. Jaiswal hits the ball over Stephen’s head. It comes off the toe end of the bat but has enough power to go for a maximum. Five away from 150.
West Zone 220/2 in 48 overs: Jaiswal steps out and places the ball in the mid-wicket region but South Zone has cover at the deep and the batter gets only one run. Iyer looks settled against spin and is defending the ball well. The pair is dealing in singles at the moment - risk free and keeps the score ticking. This continues until Jaiswal’s cut beats the point fielder and gets to the rope. The partnership is now worth 71 runs.
West Zone 210/2 in 46 overs: Jaiswal deftly cuts the ball past the slip fielder and it trickles to the boundary for four runs. Jaiswal batting on 118 now. In the next over, Jaiswal uses the pace of the ball to cut and hit another boundary. Toying with the bowling now. The lead is now 153 runs.
West Zone 196/2 in 44 overs: Jaiswal’s aggression leads to Hanuma Vihari spreading his field out. As a result, Iyer and Jaiswal are getting easy pickings for singles. Iyer attempts to chase the ball and drive it but ends up slicing it. It ends up going past backward point and Iyer can complete two runs by the time it is fielded.
West Zone 189/2 in 41 overs: Iyer stands and smashes Gowtham’s full and straight delivery over long off for six runs. Thampi continues his bouncer tactics with Jaiswal, too. The southpaw stands back and nudges the ball to third man boundary to get to his hundred. He follows that up with another boundary. A third boundary off Thampi’s over, this time above the cover fielder.
Dhruva Prasad from Coimbatore: Shreyas Iyer comes in and so do the bouncers. Thampi is brought in, despite conceding 33 in 3 overs, and sends Iyer ducking. He takes evasive action against a short one that doesn’t bounce much and it hits his bat handle... looks very uncomfortable.
West Zone 168/2 in 39 overs: Some nerves from Jaiswal. Shreyas Iyer plays the ball to square leg and Jaiswal takes off to take strike. Iyer, however, is completely oblivious to his partner’s charge and sends him back from half way. Jaiswal has to dive to get back in time. A back foot punch by Iyer for three runs. Jaiswal is calmer this time. Gently nudges the ball to third man and completes a single. Four away from a century.
West Zone 162/2 in 37 overs: Shreyas Iyer gets off the mark with a punch to covers. Iyer then flicks a loose delivery off his thighs to collect two runs. Five runs for Jaiswal in the next over. He cuts but the ball is stopped by Sai Kishore, who throws it at the batting end with the hope of getting a runout. Nobody to back up and the ball ends up hitting the fence. The two Mumbai batters are rotating the strike well. Basil Thampi is given the ball and he returns with a maiden.
West Zone 149/2 in 34 overs: A yes-and-no between Rahane and Jaiswal while taking a single but no harm done. Gowtham gets Rahane! The off spinning delivery stays low and Rahane is stuck inside the crease on his back foot. The balls thuds straight into the pads and Rahane has to walk back on 15. In comes Shreyas Iyer.
West Zone 147/1 in 32 overs: Jaiswal starts the session with a boundary off the first ball he faces. A straight drive past the mid off fielder. Gowtham induces an outside edge from Jaiswal but the ball does not carry to the second slip. Jaiswal stands and delivers the ball over covers for four runs with an inside out shot. Taking Gowtham to the cleaners, Jaiswal steps out and plays another inside out stroke for six runs. He’s on 83 now. Gently taps the ball for a single to keep strike.
And the players are back on the field for the second session. Sai Kishore with the ball and Jaiswal on strike.
Lunch Update - West Zone 129/1 in 30 overs: Rahane ends the first session with a flick of Gowtham. Would have gotten three runs but poor fielding from Mayank gets him four. Yashasvi and Panchal got the West Zone innings off to a flier with their 100-run partnership. South is attacking with spinners from both ends hoping for the odd ball to surprise with bounce. Rahane and Jaiswal have fared well so far. Will be back in 40 minutes to see how the pair continues in the second session.
West Zone 120/1 in 27 overs: Another punch of the backfoot by Rahane for three runs. Gowtham’s delivery bounces sharply off good length and Rahane is caught on the backfoot. The ball even gets an inside edge and loops up in the air but Manish Pandey fails to dive forward in time and collect the catch. A couple of front-foot defence by Rahane in the next over.
West Zone 114/1 in 24 overs: Sai Kishore gets rid of Panchal. Panchal is fresh off a sweep shot off the previous ball when he pulls the ball off his back foot. Krishnappa Gowtham leaps to his left and gets the catch. Panchal dismissed for 40. Rahane is welcomed with a delivery that jumps off a good length. He then gets a short and wide offering which he places through the cover-point region for three runs.
West Zone 106/0 in 23 overs: Sai Kishore’s delivery takes off from a good length. It surprises the batter, beats the keeper and runs down to the boundary for four byes. Some hope for bowlers. Panchal and Jaiswal bring up their 100-run partnership. A perfect start for West Zone. Another cut by Jaiswal gives him four runs in Gowtham’s over. Bhui drops another edge. Jaiswal gets another reprieve.
West Zone 90/0 in 18 overs: Sai Kishore is finally bowling for Southg Zone. Panchal plays a paddle sweep off the left-arm bowler to pick six runs. Jaiswal steps out and tonks the ball for a six over long off to bring up his fifty. The Mumbai batter keeps growing in confidence. He reaches the landmark in just 56 balls. A chance for South Zone goes begging. Jaiswal tries another on of his late cuts but gets a thick edge which hits wicket keeper Bhui on his arm. A false shot by Jaiswal in the same over. The first one in this innings.
West Zone 78/0 in 16 overs: Even in phases where boundaries dry up, the West Zone batters keep the scoreboard running with quick singles. Jaiswal plays a late cut to bring up four more runs and near his 50. Sai Kishore, easily South’s best bowler, has still not been brought on.
West Zone 68/0 in 14 overs: Jaiswal slashes yet again and gets four runs. He gets an edge but the backward point fielder has no chance to collect the delivery. This takes West Zone’s sore to 59 and gets them into a lead. Panchal uses his feet to perfection and places the ball towards long on boundary for four runs.
West Zone 54/0 in 10 overs: Another no ball bowled by South Zone. This time it’s Ravi Teja. Panchal looks comfortable on the crease and faces no trouble against the medium-pace of Ravi Teja except for one delivery that just holds its line and beats the outside edge. South Zone has placed a deep point fielder to defend against Jaiswal’s aggressive cut shots. Indrajith., at leg slip, drops Panchal after a Gowtham delivery bounces high and just takes an edge on its way past the batter. Indrajith is late to react and misses the catch.
West Zone 51/0 in 8 overs: Ravi Teja replaces Basil Thampi. The Hyderabad player is lot more disciplined with his line. Gowtham is also introduced after pacers have lacked any potency at all. Panchal steps out on the first ball and tonks the ball on the on side. Lands just wide of Ravi Teja in the deep who misfields and gifts a boundary. Jaiswal then sweeps to complete three runs. The deficit is 6 runs now.
West Zone 36/0 in 5 overs: Jaiswal flashes at another delivery. This one does not quite have the same width as the previous ones. He is lucky and gets an edge that flies over the slips for four runs. To make matters worse, Thampi bowls a no ball. Thampi continues to get a beating. He strays on the leg side and Panchal flicks the ball past square leg for another boundary. Thampi has given away 33 runs in his three overs.
West Zone 22/0 in 4 overs: Jaiswal has made his intentions clear. The southpaw smashes three boundaries off Basil Thampi’s second over. First through covers, then through the point region and the last one through the mid wicket region. Sublime. Stephen is better with his line and length and gives away just one run in the next over.
West Zone 6/0 in 1 over: An eventful first over by Basil Thampi. Jsiswal attempts an audacious cut off the first ball which falls just short of Sai Kishore at point. Panchal then gets an inside edge which narrowly misses the stumps. Jaiswal then stamps his authority with a glorious drive through covers.
Yashavi Jaiswala and Priyank Panchal take the crease for West Zone.
SOUTH ZONE - 1ST INNINGS
South Zone 327 all out in 83.1 overs: Chintan Gaja dismisses Ravi Teja and the South Zone innings comes to an end. The ball is pitched full and Ravi Teja tries to heave it on the on side. Ajinkya Rahane is stationed at short mid wicket and collects the ball that was coming straight to him. The team lead is 57 runs. We have a mouth watering contest in front of us.
South Zone 327/9 in 82.3 overs: Unadkat gets the ninth! Basil Thampi is trapped leg before wicket off an inswinging delivery. Another rough call for South Zone, as Thampi was on his toes and the ball seemed to be going over the stumps.
South Zone 327/8 in 82 overs: Chintan Gaja moves the ball back in to the left handed Sai Kishore. Though, the ball thudded him in line of the wickets, he was way down the wicket and the ball would have missed the stumps. The very next delivery, he wraps Sai Kishore on the pads again as his head falls over on his off side. This time Nikhil Patwardhan raises his finger to hand West Zone an eight scalp. Replays show that the ball pitched outside the line of the stumps. Ravi Teja manages two boundaries in the last two deliveries of the day’s first over.
Umpires Nikhil Patwardhan and Navdeep Singh walk out to the middle. They are closely followed by South Zone batters Sai Kishore and Gowtham as Ajinkya Rahane lays out instructions for his side in the team huddle. Day 3 of the Duleep Trophy final is underway. Chintan Gaja to start the proceedings for West Zone.
South Zone 318/7 in 81 overs. Leads by 48 runs. Just when West Zone thought it was back in the contest, after a magnificent spell from Unadkat after Tea on Day 2, Ravi Teja and Krishnappa Gowtham broke their hopes with a 62-run partnership for the seventh wicket. This helped South Zone to take significant first innings lead. As Day 3, the moving day of a test match, begins, West Zone will rely on their pace trio to fetch wickets with the second new ball that is just one over old. Live action coming your way soon.
WEST ZONE vs SOUTH ZONE PLAYING XI
WZ XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Priyank Panchal, Ajinkya Rahane (c), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Atit Sheth, Shams Mulani, Het Patel (wk), Tanush Kotian, Jaydev Unadkat, Chintan Gaja
SZ XI: Rohan Kunnummal, Mayank Agarwal, Baba Indrajith, Hanuma Vihari (c), Manish Pandey, Ricky Bhui (wk), Krishnappa Gowtham, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Basil Thampi, Telukupalli Ravi Teja, Cheepurapalli Stephen
DULEEP TROPHY FINAL, DAY 2 REPORT
Baba Indrajith’s (118, 125b, 14x4) breezy ton and R. Sai Kishore’s five for 86 ensured South Zone had its nose in front on the second day of the Duleep Trophy final at the SNR College Cricket Ground in Coimbatore on Thursday.
When West Zone thought it had a foot in the door, with South Zone losing six for 243, Krishnappa Gowtham’s (43, 55b, 3x4, 3x6) lusty blows took his team to 318 for seven and stretched its first-innings lead to 48.
On a wicket which continued to assist both pacers and spinners, Indrajith’s well-paced hundred was a throwback to his three triple-digit scores during Ranji Trophy 2021-22 where he plundered 396 runs at a strike rate of 76.74.
His punching of the bat on reaching his 112-ball hundred came as an aberration in an innings compiled with restrained aggression. He pounced on the fuller lengths of both pacers and spinners, pulled with disdain and was busy with his feet, stealing runs behind square on the off-side with impeccable timing.
Indrajith found momentum from the get-go despite South Zone struggling at 40 for two. His fluent shot-making coupled with Hanuma Vihari’s stodgy knock had restored normalcy by lunch before the skipper became the third victim of the pacers’ attacking lengths.
Atit Sheth pitched it full and shaped the ball into Vihari to rap him on the pads after getting one to tail away late and square up Mayank Agarwal, who edged behind poking outside off.
Jaydev Unadkat, with his around the wicket angle, induced Rohan Kunnummal’s outside edge to remove both openers.
However, Indrajith and Manish Pandey (48, 69b, 4x4, 2x6) ensured it would be long before West Zone had something to cheer about. The duo took a shine to the spinners in a stand 105-run partnership off 127 balls to deflate West Zone in the second session.
Pandey, after a brief with the in-swinging delivery, set the wheels in motion with two consecutive fours off Tanush Kotian – a biff down the ground and a cover-drive. Pandey wasn’t finished and when Kotian came around the wicket.
He played against the turn and smacked the off-spinner for an inside-out six and four, over covers. Indrajith flexed his muscles too, slicing behind point and pulling Shams Mulani to the midwicket boundary for two successive fours.
By the end of the onslaught, Kotian and Mulani had conceded 109 runs in 19 overs between them.
However, Kotian had the last laugh when he came back over the wicket and castled Pandey with the traditional off-spinner.
In the first over after the tea break, Indrajith strayed from his methods to his peril. After driving two identical Unadkat half-volleys through covers for boundaries, Indrajith was caught playing away from the body and chipped an easy catch to the cover fielder with the length slightly shorter on this occasion.
Unadkat had his third with Ricky Bhui prodding outside off and edging in the slip cordon while Sheth curtailed Gowtham’s pugnacious knock as West Zone pacers accounted for six wickets.
Earlier in the day, Het Patel was denied a well-deserved hundred when he got a top-edge while pulling a R Sai Kishore delivery that bounced awkwardly. Kishore soon had his fifer with the wicket of Chintan Gaja while Unadkat, dropped on 45 by Agarwal, was left unbeaten on 47 with West Zone adding 20 runs to its overnight score.
- Dhruva Prasad
Here is the Wednesday with W.V.’s episode where W. V. Raman talks about India’s domestic cricket season:
WHERE TO WATCH DULEEP TROPHY 2022-23 FINAL LIVE?
The Duleep Trophy final between West Zone and South Zone will be broadcast by the Star Sports Network from 9:30 AM IST on September 21. The match will also be live streamed on Disney+ Hotstar app.
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