Duleep Trophy semis: Patidar’s Central take on East, South clash with North

The Duleep Trophy reaches its business end here on Sunday with defending champions Central Zone taking on an East Zone side brimming with confidence, while last year’s runners-up South Zone face North Zone.

The last-four stage promises an intriguing contest, with East and North having negotiated the quarterfinal hurdle while Central and South received direct entry.

East Zone recorded a crushing victory over North East Zone in their quarterfinal, while North Zone scraped through a tense knockout thanks largely to left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq. Central, led by Rajat Patidar for the second successive season, and South, last year’s runner-up, will have to hit the ground running despite not having played a game in the tournament. Central, however, have the advantage of continuity, having retained a strong core from the side that lifted the trophy last year. Patidar comes into the tournament on the back of a prolific season in the IPL and MP T20 League, while vice-captain Rinku Singh adds experience to the middle order.

Their biggest strength could be the bowling depth. Saransh Jain, who impressed under trying circumstances in the drawn second Test against Sri Lanka, and Harsh Dubey, who recently featured in the ODIs against Afghanistan, form a quality spin combination. Yash Thakur adds pace and first-class experience, while Zeeshan Ansari, rewarded for his recent performances, will be another player to watch. East, though, would want to build on their momentum with the young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi being at the cynosure once again. East Zone were ruthless in the quarterfinals, crushing North East Zone by an innings and 210 runs, with Bengal’s Sudip Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed striking commanding centuries.

Shahbaz also contributed with four wickets, while Anukul Roy claimed a five-wicket haul in the second innings and Abhijit Sarkar finished with six wickets in the match. Gharami and Shahbaz’s form gives East plenty of confidence, while skipper Ishan Kishan adds experience and authority to the batting line-up. Abhimanyu Easwaran brings proven First-Class pedigree, while teenage sensation Sooryavanshi, despite a modest outing with the bat in the quarterfinal, remains capable of changing the game if he gets going at the top. Last year’s runners-up South Zone have the experience to go one step further, with new captain Tilak Varma leading a strong batting unit featuring Ricky Bhui, Narayan Jagadeesan, and Karun Nair. Nair, in particular, will look to draw on his experience in pressure situations, while Jagadeesan has been among the more consistent run-getters on the domestic circuit. Shreyas Gopal and left-arm spinner Tanay Thyagarajan add variety to the attack, with Vidwath Kaverappa providing the pace option.

North Zone, however, arrive with the confidence of surviving a tight knockout, edging the star-studded West Zone by 52 runs in the quarterfinal.