Ruturaj Gaikwad in action during the Duleep Trophy match against Central Zone.
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
N. Jagadeesan (148 batting, 260b, 13×4, 2×6) was at his dogged best, powering South Zone to a comfortable 297 for three in 81 overs against North Zone on the opening day of their Duleep Trophy semifinal here on Thursday.
On a BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground (1) pitch, which did not offer much help to the bowlers, Jagadeesan stood firm for a little over six hours.
The Tamil Nadu batter and his opening partner Tanmay Agarwal (43, 99b, 5×4) saw off the new ball expertly. When the afternoon sun peeped out in an otherwise cloudy day, Jagadeesan looked for the scoring shots. Anything full from spinners Nishant Sindhu and Mayank Dagar were casually lifted over the in-field for boundaries.
Jagadeesan, who recently earned his maiden Test call-up as a replacement for an injured Rishabh Pant, took full advantage of an early reprieve. Batting on nine, he had nicked one from pacer Anshul Kamboj, only for a no-ball to be declared.
Jagadeesan celebrates his century.
| Photo Credit:
K. MURALI KUMAR
No. 3 Devdutt Padikkal (57, 71b, 7×4) looked fluent, using his feet well and finding the gaps in the field. A loose swipe outside off to Kamboj, however, brought his downfall.
In the other semifinal, Ruturaj Gaikwad (184, 206b, 25×4, 1×6) stole the limelight to guide West Zone to 363 for six in 87 overs against Central Zone.
Ruturaj walked in with his side in mild bother at 10 for two, ahead of Shreyas Iyer.
The Maharashtra batter thrived in the company of Aarya Desai (39), Shreyas (25) and Tanush Kotian (65 batting, 121b, 5×4) to reach his eighth First Class century. Ruturaj looked set for a maiden double hundred until he was stumped by off-spinner Saransh Jain.
Shreyas’ hopes of making a point to the national selectors came undone with a poor stroke. Attempting a late cut to a sharp, straight delivery from left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, Shreyas lost his stumps.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (4) also disappointed, falling leg-before to Khaleel in the first over.
The scores: At BCCI CoE Ground (1): South Zone 297/3 in 81 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 43, N. Jagadeesan 148 batting, Devdutt Padikkal 57) vs North Zone; Toss: North.
At BCCI CoE Ground (2): West Zone 363/6 in 87 overs (Aarya Desai 39, Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Tanush Kotian 65 batting) vs Central Zone; Toss: West.
Published – September 04, 2025 06:33 pm IST
