Central’s seventh Duleep Trophy win ended drought, with Rathod’s 194 showcasing their strong batting depth
Bengaluru
Central Zone lifted their seventh Duleep Trophy crown on Monday, ending an 11-year wait with a six-wicket win over South Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. The victory was shaped by Yash Rathod’s career-best 194, Saransh Jain’s all-round display, and Rajat Patidar’s attacking century.
Chasing 65 runs on the final morning, Central Zone faced some tense moments. Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma fell early, while Jain, promoted to No. 4, struck his first ball for four but was dismissed soon after. At 24 for three, South sniffed a comeback as Ankit Sharma’s spin and Gurjapneet Singh’s seam movement troubled the batters. Both bowlers picked two wickets each to keep the contest alive.
Patidar and Akshay Wadkar, however, changed the tempo with counter-attacking strokes. Wadkar’s crisp drives and Patidar’s fluent stroke play steadied the innings. Patidar survived a stumping scare but found rhythm with confident drives. He fell with only 16 runs required, miscuing a sweep to mid-on.
Wadkar and Rathod then calmly finished the chase, with Rathod hitting the winning runs through covers. Central reached the target in just 20.3 overs, sealing their first title since the 2014–15 season, when they also defeated South in the final.
The win marked Central’s seventh overall Duleep Trophy triumph, including one shared title. For the team, the victory not only ended a long drought but also highlighted the depth in their batting, with Rathod’s monumental 194 in the first innings proving decisive.
The triumph reinforces Central’s cricketing legacy in the domestic circuit and provides momentum for its young stars.
