The semi-finals of the 2025 Duleep Trophy concluded on Sunday (September 7). Here's a round-up of all the action from the two matches.
Semi-final 1: South Zone v North Zone
South were sent in to bat on day one after Ankit Kumar won the toss. They batted for two whole days to make 536, led by opener and vice-captain N Jagadeesan's 197. Devdutt Padikkal (57), Ricky Bhui (54) and Tanay Thyagarajan (58) also chipped in with half-centuries. Left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu took 5-125.
North's chances of taking a first-innings lead looked slim at 101-3, but Sindhu and opener Shubham Khajuria put on 171 for the fourth wickets to make South toil. Sindhu was dismissed by Gurjapneet Singh late on day three, and Kanhaiya Wadhawan was run out soon after to leave North 278-5 with one day to go, staring at an uphill task.
The wind was taken out of their sails early on day four as Khajuria was bowled by Vasuki Koushik for 128. Sahil Lotra and Mayank Dagar tried to stick around, but it was only a matter of time before North were bowled out for 361, well short of a lead.
South began batting again, and made it to 95-1 in 24.4 overs before the captains agreed on a draw, the batting side advancing on the basis of first-innings lead. There was enough time in the innings for Jagadeesan to record an unbeaten 52.
1st Semi-Final, South Zone vs North Zone
vs
- Ball by ball Over
Semi-final 2: West Zone v Central Zone
Batting first, West Zone were on track for a massive first-innings score at 411-6 midway through day two. But the lower order added little, and they managed 438. At the end of that day, Central had made significant inroads, sitting at 229-2.
Read more: India A off-spinner pushes Test case as Ashwin successor with Duleep Trophy fifty from No.7
The third day saw more batting domination, as Central took the lead after lunch, and finished the day at 556-8, looking to bat West completely out of the contest. As it happened, they were bowled out relatively quickly on the final day for 600, nearly setting an Indian record for the highest first-class total to not contain an individual century.
West's only hope of qualifying was to bat as aggressively as possible and bowl Central out quickly. It was unlikely right from the start, even as Yashasvi Jaiswal played briskly to record 64 off 70 balls. They brought in Saurabh Nawale to replace wicketkeeper Harvik Desai, who was struck on the thigh. Non-concussion subs are usually not allowed, but this was done with the consent of opposition captain Rajat Patidar.
Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey and offie Saransh Jain struck at regular intervals, and at 216-8 in the 54th over both sides agreed on a draw. Dubey and Jain were undoubtedly the stars of the match – the pair accounted for 14 of the 18 wickets taken by their side, and scored 75 and 63 not out respectively.
2nd Semi-Final, West Zone vs Central Zone
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- Ball by ball Over
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