Left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma fell for Central Zone's trap, slogging to be caught for 99 during the Duleep Trophy final on Sunday (September 14).
Ankit Sharma scores 99 from No.8 in fightback for South Zone
The Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and Central Zone began on September 11, with Central skipper Rajat Patidar putting South in to bat on day one. The decision proved successful, as spinners Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya took nine wickets between themto skittle South for 149.
Central went on to make 511, batting on each of the first three days of the contest. Patidar (101) and Ranji Trophy top-scorer Yash Rathod (194) made centuries, as Jain (69) and Danish Malewar (53) made fifties.
South Zone began batting again in the second half of day three, needing to win the match outright in order to lift the trophy, having conceded the first-innings lead. They were 129-2 by stumps, and needed to score quickly on day four to keep their hopes alive. But they were in a spot of bother, slipping from 200-3 to 222-6 as Mohammed Azharuddeen, Salman Nizar and R Smaran departed in quick succession.
Final, South Zone vs Central Zone
vs
Tamil Nadu teenager C Andre Siddarth and Puducherry left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma then joined hands, beginning to drag South out of trouble. Both players crossed 50, with Ankit closing in on a second first-class century.
After tea, with Ankit on 99 and left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya returning, Central skipper Rajat Patidar brought the field in, leaving just one fielder on the midwicket boundary in an effort to deny him an easy single. Three deliveries into the over, Ankit took the bait, attempting to hit Kartikeya over the leg side.
He was nowhere near the pitch of the ball, and only managed to hit it straight up. The catch fell right into the hands of Patidar, giving Central their much-needed breakthrough by breaking the 192-run stand. The South tail then put up little resistance, as they were bundled out for 426, meaning Central will need 65 to win on the fifth and final day.
Read more: Indian domestic great switches Ranji team after nine years to play under CSK captain
Who is Ankit Sharma?
Born in Madhya Pradesh, Ankit debuted for his state side in 2009, aged 18. He represented four different franchises – Deccan Chargers, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Rising Pune Supergiants – across seven IPL seasons. His solitary first-class ton came in his penultimate season with MP, 104 against Baroda in 2017.
After being left out of the side for nearly four seasons, Ankit switched to Puducherry in the 2022-23 campaign. He has reportedly obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Puducherry, in order to play for Kerala from the 2025-26 season.
Image credit: JioHotstar
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
