Duleep Trophy semi-final: South Zone edge North Zone in thriller; face West in final

BENGALURU: Tamil Nadu's R Sai Kishore came up with a splendid all-round show as South Zone trumped North Zone by two wickets on a rain-interrupted but thrilling last day of the Duleep Trophy semi-final in Bengaluru on Saturday.

In the final, South will take on defending champions West Zone in a repeat of the 2022 title clash.

Chasing 215 in overcast conditions, South Zone were in the driver's seat with Mayank Agarwal (54) and skipper Hanuma Vihari's (43) playing counter-attacking knocks.

But the pace trio of Harshit Rana (3/84), Baltej Singh (2/47) and Vaibhav Arora (2/46) gave their side timely breakthroughs, while North skipper Jayant Yadav grabbed the prized scalp of Agarwal.

There were two rain interruptions, the longest was for about two hours just before the final session, when South required 32 runs with Ricky Bhui (34) and Tilak Varma (25) going great guns.

With five wickets intact, South had one foot in the final but they faced some anxious moments as they were aware that North would make the cut by virtue of their three-run first-innings lead, if there was no further play. But play resumed and more drama followed when Rana and Baltej's twin bursts pushed South in a precarious 213/8, after they lost four wickets for just 22 runs.

However, spin-bowling all-rounder Sai Kishore, who grabbed a tidy 3/28 to dismiss North for 211 in their second essay, played the finisher's role with an unbeaten 15 that included two sixes under pressure.

West Zone reached the final on the basis of a crucial first innings lead after their semifinal clash against Central Zone ended in a draw on a rain-affected last day.

Chasing a challenging 399 to win on Day 4, Central Zone were reduced to 128/4 when the sky opened up, leading to a prolonged stoppage of play. An early tea break was taken and eventually, handshakes were exchanged as the final day’s play was called off due to a wet outfield. Agencies

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