Central Zone tighten grip on Duleep Trophy semifinal against West Zone

Central Zone dominated day three of the Duleep Trophy semifinal, reaching 556/8 to take a 118-run first-innings lead over West Zone, with strong contributions from Shubham Sharma, Upendra Yadav, and Harsh Dubey

Bengaluru: Half-centuries from Shubham Sharma (96), Upendra Yadav (87), Rajat Patidar (77), and Harsh Dubey (75) powered Central Zone closer to the 2025/26 Duleep Trophy final after they reached 556/8 in 157 overs at stumps on day three of their semifinal against West Zone.

At the close of play at the BCCI CoE Ground 2, Central Zone had secured a first-innings lead of 118 runs, putting them in pole position to qualify for the final even if the match ends in a draw. Saransh Jain was unbeaten on 37 with Yash Thakur (4 not out) at the other end.

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West Zone rotated their bowlers in search of breakthroughs, even giving overs to skipper Shreyas Iyer and Yashasvi Jaiswal, but Central’s batters marched on relentlessly. Though three wickets fell in the first session, Dubey and Yadav blunted the attack with a crucial 134-run stand off 197 balls for the sixth wicket that pushed their side firmly into the lead.

Although none of the Central batters reached three figures, the collective effort ensured control of the game. For West Zone, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja led the fight with 4-101 but received little support from the rest of the attack.

Patidar began positively in the morning, bringing up his fifty in 62 balls before Jadeja dismissed him to break a 127-run partnership with Shubham. The left-arm spinner later removed Yash Rathod cheaply, with Ruturaj Gaikwad taking a sharp catch.

Shubham looked set for a hundred but fell four short after a mix-up with Yadav. Central, however, rebuilt through the counterattacking stand between Yadav and Dubey. While Yadav reached his fifty in 84 balls, Dubey got his half-century off 62 deliveries before being dismissed by Shams Mulani. Jadeja later removed Dubey to complete his four-wicket haul.

Rain interruptions briefly delayed play, but Central’s momentum remained unbroken. Deepak Chahar chipped in with an attacking 33 off 52 balls to extend the lead. With a healthy first-innings cushion, Central Zone now have one foot firmly in the final.

Brief scores:
West Zone 438 all out in 108 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 184; Harsh Dubey 3-118) trail Central Zone 556/8 in 157 overs (Shubham Sharma 96, Upendra Yadav 87, Rajat Patidar 77, Harsh Dubey 75; Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 4-101, Arzan Nagwaswalla 1-53) by 118 runs.