Ayush Badoni starred with an unbeaten double-century as the Duleep Trophy quarter-finals concluded on Sunday, 31 August, with North Zone and Central Zone advancing to the semi-finals following draws against East Zone and North-East Zone, respectively. North Zone resumed the final day on 388 for 2, already enjoying a massive 563-run lead.
Opting to bat through the day to secure a first-innings advantage and ensure qualification, they posted a dominant total. Ayush Badoni’s unbeaten double-hundred was the highlight, while opener Ankit Kumar narrowly missed his own double century, finishing on 198, and Nishant Sindhu contributed 68.
Their efforts extended North Zone’s overall lead to an astonishing 833 runs. East Zone was handicapped by a depleted bowling attack, with Mohammad Shami absent on the last day and Mukesh Kumar sidelined due to injury. Lacking their key pacers, East Zone could not contain North Zone’s batters, offering minimal resistance.
The match ended in a draw, with North Zone comfortably securing their place in the semi-finals.
Central Zone Secure Semi-Final Spot After Draw with North-East
In the other quarter-final, Central Zone secured their semi-final berth by maintaining control over North-East Zone. After declaring their second innings the day before, Central Zone restricted their opponents to 200 for 6, keeping the target out of reach.
North-East captain Rongsen Jonathan and wicketkeeper-batter Jehu Anderson offered resistance with half-centuries each, but disciplined bowling prevented any serious challenge. Harsh Dubey and Aditya Thakare shared four wickets between them to keep the North-East side in check.
It was another disappointing outing for India international Kuldeep Yadav, who went wicketless across both innings. Bowling a total of 32 overs without success, the left-arm wrist-spinner will be aiming for a stronger performance in the semi-finals if selected.
With the quarter-finals wrapped up, both North Zone and Central Zone will look to carry forward their dominant form into the semi-finals next week.
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