A poor batting effort left South Zone in a hole on the first day of its Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone at the BCCI CoE Ground (1) in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Dreadful shot selection, a lack of temperament, and a clumsy run-out caused South Zone to be dismissed for a paltry 149. Spinners Saransh Jain (5/49) and Kumar Kartikeya (4/53) kept it tight and reaped huge rewards.
By cruising along to 50 for no loss by close of play, Central Zone proved that there were no demons in this pitch.
South Zone’s sub-standard display began with opener Mohit Kale (9), who attempted a wild slog sweep to left-arm spinner Kartikeya. Kale completely missed and lost his stumps.
Karnataka batter R. Smaran, drafted in as a replacement for Devdutt Padikkal, similarly threw away his wicket. Smaran miscued a hoick off Kartikeya, and offered a catch to mid-wicket.
Tanmay Agarwal (31, 76b, 3×4) showed some grit, until a comical mix-up sent him back. Coming back for a second, Tanmay slammed into partner Ricky Bhui in the middle of the pitch, and was run-out by miles.
Skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen was the rare batter to fall purely to the bowler’s skill. A beauty from Kartikeya pitched outside leg, squared Azharuddeen up, and fizzed across to hit off-stump.
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Offspinner Saransh entered the action, scalping Ricky Bhui (15) leg-before. With plenty of loop and turn, Saransh then enticed Andre Siddarth (12) out of the crease. Siddarth played all over it, allowing wicketkeeper Upendra Yadav to effect a smart stumping.
Salman Nizar (24) and Ankit Sharma (20) hung around, but there would be no stopping North’s march.
Kartikeya, who did not feature in the previous two rounds of this tournament, was thrilled to grab this opportunity. Kartikeya, who bowls orthodox and wrist spin with equal efficiency, was not picked for the zonal teams in the last two seasons despite fine performances in the Ranji Trophy.
“I was picked for this match because some players were selected for the India ‘A’ team. It was very important for me to grab this chance,” Kartikeya said.
Published on Sep 11, 2025
