Duleep Trophy 2025, SZ vs CZ: Spinners help South Zone dominate on Day 1 in Final

Published - 11 Sept 2025, 16:28 IST | Updated - 11 Sept 2025, 17:44 IST

Central Zone had a sensational outing on Day 1 of the 2025 Duleep Trophy final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru on Thursday, September 11. This was after Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field first.

This turned out to be a fantastic toss to win. After the overnight rain and overcast conditions in the morning, the pacers bowled well and put the South Zone batters under all sorts of pressure. However, openers Tanmay Agarwal and Mohit Kale showed a lot of grit and determination as South Zone didn't lose a wicket in the opening hour despite playing and missing several deliveries from the seamers.

However, carnage started once left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya came into the attack. He accounted for three wickets in the first session, while Tanmay Agarwal was unfortunately run out after a collision with his partner. Four wickets fell before Lunch on Day 1.

After the Lunch break, off-spinner Saransh Jain wreaked havoc. Salman Nizar and Ankit Sharma tried to resurrect the innings, but the ball turned viciously for the spinners, and the odd one also kept low. In the end, South Zone was bowled out for 149 in 63 overs. Jain finished with figures of 5/49 in 24 overs. On the other hand, Kartikeya bagged a four-for, conceding 49 runs in 24 overs. Agarwal was the top-scorer in the innings, scoring 31 off 76 balls.

In reply, Central Zone openers Danish Malewar and Akshay Wadkar played with composure and added 50 runs in 19 overs before the umpires called for Stumps due to bad light. Malewar scored 28 off 64 balls, while Wadkar finished on 20* off 52 deliveries. Both batters hit three boundaries each.

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Central Zone have got themselves way ahead in the game, and South Zone will have to muster something special to make a comeback in the summit clash. The pitch should ease out on Day 2, and if South Zone don't pick up wickets in the first hour, they could have a long day in store for them.