Yash Rathod delivered a career-best performance, scoring a fluent 194, to put Central Zone in a commanding position in the Duleep Trophy final. The southpaw's innings was the cornerstone of Central Zone's mammoth first-innings total of 511, leaving South Zone with a significant deficit to overcome. At the end of the third day, South Zone were 129 for two, still trailing by 233 runs, with the match heavily tilted in Central's favor.
Rathod, who was the highest run-scorer in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season, came into the final with a point to prove after a rare failure in the semifinals. The 25-year-old showcased his talent with a patient and graceful innings that lasted eight hours. "I had a very strong belief that I was going to get runs in the final. I even told one or two of my friends before this match that I was going to get big runs in the final. The confidence was there," Rathod said. He was eventually bowled by a sharp indipper from Gurjapneet Singh, just six runs shy of his maiden double century.
Rathod found a solid partner in Saransh Jain, who scored a hard-fought 69. Their 176-run sixth-wicket partnership was crucial in extending Central Zone's lead. However, South Zone's bowlers, led by Gurjapneet Singh (4/124) and Ankit Sharma (4/180), managed to clean up the tail after Rathod's dismissal. The last four wickets fell for just 11 runs, which prevented Central from reaching an even larger total.
In their second innings, South Zone showed more resilience compared to their first-innings collapse. Openers Tanmay Agarwal and Mohit Kale provided a steady start before a solid unbeaten partnership between R. Smaran (37*) and Ricky Bhui (26*) kept the team in the game. The duo batted cautiously against Central's attack and ensured no further wickets fell before bad light ended the day's play early.
With South Zone still needing a significant number of runs to make Central bat again, the outcome of the match seems to be a formality. Central Zone's strong first-innings total has put them in a position to clinch the Duleep Trophy title. The match is likely to conclude on day four or five, with Central Zone poised to lift the trophy.
