Duleep Trophy semifinals roundup: Jagadeesan misses out on double ton as South pile on runs, Central reply strongly to West

Jagadeesan’s knock was the highlight as the wicketkeeper-batter reflected on his late call-up to the England tour after Rishbah Pant’s injury. “I need to be grateful for the opportunity that I’m getting here because there’re a billion people who want to play the Duleep Trophy, Ranji Trophy and, you know, be part of the Indian team,” he told PTI. “So, you know, it’s not just about your own performances, but it is also about how the team combination is and all the other stuff. So, there are a lot of X factors. So, it’s about staying in the present and not thinking about the future.”

At the start of the day, South skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen (11) was dismissed off the second delivery of the day bowled by India medium pacer Anshul Kamboj (2/67 in 24 overs). However Ricky Bhui (54 off 131 balls) and Jagadeesan didn’t force the pace during their 87 runs for the fifth wicket which took them 194 deliveries. Jagadeesan, who had added only three boundaries to his overnight 13 was distinctly unlucky when the burly Bhui sold a dummy to the Tamil Nadu keeper-batter.

South Zone’s Narayan Jagadeesan plays a shot on day two of the Duleep Trophy 2025 first semifinal cricket match between South Zone and North Zone, at BCCI Centre of Excellence ground, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Friday, Sept. 5, 2025. (PTI Photo)

He pushed a ball towards point in pursuit of quick single as Jagadeesan sprinted towards the striker’s end only to find the Andhra man rooted to his crease. In the post-lunch session, Bhui briefly gave the charge, hitting off-spinner Sahil Lotra for a four and a six over long-on. But when left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu (5/125 in 47.2 overs) was brought into the attack, he was out in a meek fashion edging one to rival skipper Ankit Kumar. Hyderabad spinner Tanay Thyagarajan (58 off 116 balls) then found an able ally in Tamil Nadu pacer Gurjapneet Singh (29 off 81 balls) as the duo added a crucial 63 runs for the eighth wicket which took South past the 500-run mark.

Malewar, Shubham Sharma make fifties

Malewar, who made a double hundred in the quarterfinal against North-East Zone, took his time to settle down before making 76, as his opening partner Ayush Pandey (40 off 59 balls) went off the blocks briskly. The left-hander made 32 runs in boundaries, but his cavalier stay ended when Pandey’s drive on the up off pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla ended with Aarya Desai in the covers.

But Malewar and Shubham stitched together a 93-run alliance for the second wicket to ensure that they did not waste a firm beginning. Malewar was confidence personified during his 136-ball innings, seldom giving any chance to the bowlers with precise footwork. A backfoot punch, which was executed standing tall on his feet, off pacer Tushar Deshpande was an absolute treat to watch. It fetched him four runs in a blink.

But at the other end, Shubham, a veteran of 67 first-class matches, was not really comfortable especially against off-spinner Tanush Kotian and left-arm spinner Dharmendra Jadeja. The West Zone spinners often beat his outside edge and pinned him on the backfoot, but close margins kept saving the 31-year-old.

There was some help for the spinners as West Zone skipper Shardul Thakur often employed a slip and short leg fielder around an hour into the second session. Malewar, who completed his fifty in 94 balls, looked good to carry on for more, but a rather loose drive outside the off-stump off Jadeja resulted in a caught behind catch to Harvik Desai.

However, Shubham found another able ally in skipper Patidar, making 69 runs for the ongoing third wicket alliance, to keep Central close on the heels of West Zone.

Eventually, Shubham reached his fifty in 118 balls with a single off Jadeja, and continued to offer a broad bat to the West bowlers.

Unlike other batters, Patidar was more aggressive in his ways, often unfurling those strong drives using supple wrists through the covers to get boundaries as he reached his fifty In the morning session, West, starting from overnight 363 for six, motored on to 411 for six as skipper Shardul Thakur, overnight 24, duly completed his fifty off 83 balls with a boundary off pacer Yash Thakur.

The seventh wicket partnership also touched 84, but the run out of Thakur, who attempted a tight run and ended up on the same end as Kotian, turned the tide in favour of Central.

They plucked the next three wickets of Kotian, Jadeja and Arzan Nagwaswalla for 27 runs to prevent West from posting a much bigger total.

Kotian, overnight 65, could not progress beyond 76 as left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey beat him with a quick one that also carried a hint of turn.

The first session of the day was marked by a fine show by Central spinners, finding much better lengths.

Brief Scores: South Zone 1st Innings 536 in 169.2 overs (Narayan Jagadeesan 197, Tanay Thyagarajan 58, Nishant Sindhu 5/125) vs North Zone. West Zone 438 (Tanush Kotian 76, Saransh Jain 3/121) lead Central Zone 229/2 (Danish Malewar 76, Shubham Sharma 60*, Arzan Nagwaswalla 1/15) by 209 runs,

(with PTI inputs)