The Duleep Trophy semi-finals kicked off on Thursday (September 4). Find the round-up of all the action from day one right here.
Semi-final 1: South Zone v North Zone
Only 81 overs of play were possible in the first semi-final, through a combination of a wet outfield at the start of the day, and bad light at the end. When the game did get underway, North captain Ankit Kumar put South in to bat.
1st Semi-Final, South Zone vs North Zone
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The decision backfired early, as Hyderabad's Tanmay Agarwal and Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan added 50, and then 100 for the opening stand. Their partnership was finally broken at 103, as left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu broke through Agarwal's defence to dismiss him for 43.
Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal then put on 128 runs before the latter was dismissed for 57, shortly after Jagadeesan made his way to an eleventh first-class ton. Sindhu took another wicket before the close of play, dismissing Mohit Kale for 15. South skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen kept Jagadeesan company until stumps.
Score at stumps, day one: South Zone 297-3 (N Jagadeesan 148*, Nishant Sindhu 2-59) vs North Zone.
Semi-final 2: West Zone v Central Zone
In the second semi-final, West Zone skipper Shardul Thakur won the toss and elected to bat first. They were rocked early, as Khaleel Ahmed got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal inside three deliveries, and Deepak Chahar accounted for Harvik Desai.
At 10-2, Ruturaj Gaikwad came out to the middle to join Aarya Desai. Gaikwad scored a half-century as they put on 82, before Desai was bowled by Harsh Dubey for 39.
2nd Semi-Final, West Zone vs Central Zone
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Gaikwad put on stands worth 45 and 42 with Shreyas Iyer (25) and Shams Mulani (18), who did not stick around for long. He received more support from No.7 Tanush Kotian, and made his way to his eighth first-class century.
The CSK skipper accelerated after tea, taking 22 runs off a single Khaleel over en route to 184. By stumps, West Zone had reached 363, with Shardul Thakur (24*) alongside Kotian, unbeaten on 65 – his 17th first-class half-century.
Score at stumps, day one: West Zone 363-6 (Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Khaleel Ahmed 2-70) vs Central Zone.
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