Tilak Varma scored a hundred to help South Zone cross the 300-run mark in the first innings and take a crucial 116-run lead over North Zone in the semifinal of the Duleep Trophy.
Tilak Varma's hundred rescues South Zone against North Zone in Duleep Trophy semifinal
Tilak, the South Zone captain, walked out to bat at number four with his team at 39-2 in reply to North Zone's first-innings total of 195. They were soon reduced to 80-5, with Gurnoor Brar running through the line-up to take four of the first five wickets. North Zone would’ve entertained thoughts of gaining a lead, but Tilak led from the front to arrest the slide and also found an able ally in Shreyas Gopal.
They together stitched a partnership of 175 runs and kept the opposition wicketless for 334 deliveries. In the process, Tilak notched up an eighth first-class century in his 24th game. Gopal too reached his half-century but missed out on a well-deserved ton as Arshdeep Singh dismissed him for 87.
Once the sixth-wicket stand was broken, South Zone collapsed yet again from 255-5 to 270-9. But Tilak added vital 42 runs with No.11 Kavuri Saiteja to take the team to 312. He remained unbeaten on 116, showing great composure in testing conditions during his 250-ball stay in the middle.
Gritty. Resolute. Class 💪
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 1, 2026
Watch 🎥 Tilak Varma's brilliant 116* that helped South Zone take the lead 👌
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/AGjIStrDAT#DuleepTrophy | #SZvNZ pic.twitter.com/t87bMwAVVs
Tilak’s mature knock comes amid reports of a possible inclusion in India’s ODI side ahead of the World Cup next year. The 23-year-old is a regular in India’s T20I team, having already played 59 matches in the format and scoed 1645 runs at a strike rate of 145.18, with two centuries. But he is yet to leave a mark in five ODIs, with his last appearance in the format coming in December 2025.
As for the ongoing Duleep Trophy semifinal, North Zone could only muster 195 runs in the first innings after opting to bat. Qamran Iqbal was their top scorer with 76 runs while Vidwath Kaverappa starred for South Zone with figures of 4-66. In response, Tilak's ton helped South Zone take a 113-run first-innings lead.
At the time of writing, North Zone were 123-1 in the second session of third day’s play, leading by six runs, with Sanat Sangwan and Ayush Doseja batting in the middle.
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.
