Duleep Trophy: South & Central Zone Advance to Final Amid India A Call-Ups, Jaiswal's Effort in Vain

South Zone and Central Zone secured their spots in the Duleep Trophy 2025 final after their first-inning leads in their respective semifinal matches which ended in a draw on Sunday, September 7. The summit clash will be played from September 11, but both teams will miss several key players due to India A commitments.

At the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru, South Zone advanced at the expense of North Zone, riding on the red-hot form of N Jagadeesan. The opener, who smashed a marathon 197 in the first innings, followed it up with an unbeaten 52 off 69 balls in the second dig as South finished on 95/1 when play was called off.

Earlier, South’s first-innings total of 536 proved decisive. In reply, North were bowled out for 361, despite Shubham Khajuria’s 128. The opener was dismissed early on the final morning by Vasuki Koushik, leaving the innings adrift. Sahil Lotra (19) and Mayank Dagar (31) delayed the inevitable with a 47-run stand, but South’s bowlers kept chipping away. Gurjapneet Singh (4/96) and MD Nidheesh (3/82) were the chief wicket-takers.

Captain Mohammed Azharuddeen admitted that the massive first-innings score gave his side complete control.

"We always knew that with 536 runs behind us, we had that cushion. North batted well in patches, but we kept waiting for the one mistake. Eventually, we broke through," he said as quoted by PTI.

Central Zone secured progression by virtue of their commanding 162-run first-innings lead over West Zone. Central piled up 600 in response to West’s 438, with Saransh Jain (63 not out) extending the advantage on the fourth morning.

West’s chase for redemption in the second innings revolved around Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fluent 64 off 70 balls, which included a flurry of boundaries. However, his aggressive approach led to his dismissal against Harsh Dubey (3/96). Ruturaj Gaikwad (16) and Shreyas Iyer (12) failed to convert starts, leaving West reliant on their lower order.

Skipper Shardul Thakur (6) was dismissed just before tea, prompting both sides to shake hands at 216/8, acknowledging that the match had reached its natural conclusion.

Thakur later rued his side’s first-innings batting lapses.

"On Day 1, a few rash shots cost us. My run-out was a turning point too. If we had got close to 500, the game might have tilted our way," he said.

Central’s bowling attack, spearheaded by Saransh Jain (5/84) and Dubey, consistently tested West’s batters, while the fielders also held their nerve in crucial moments.

The semifinal weekend wasn’t without setbacks. West wicketkeeper Harvik Desai sustained a quadricep injury and had to be replaced by Maharashtra’s Saurabh Nawale mid-match.

Looking ahead, both finalists face a selection challenge. Several players, including Jagadeesan, Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed, will leave to join the India A squad for two red-ball matches against Australia A in Lucknow from September 12.

The Duleep Trophy final, however, still promises a battle between South’s batting might and Central’s balanced attack when they meet on September 11.