East Zone Take Complete Control of Duleep Trophy Final
East Zone have tightened their grip on the Duleep Trophy final, leaving South Zone in a precarious position at the end of Day 3. After posting a mammoth 708, East Zone reduced South Zone to 242/6, putting themselves firmly in the driving seat.
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XtraTime Web Desk: East Zone have tightened their grip on the Duleep Trophy final, leaving South Zone in a precarious position at the end of Day 3. After posting a mammoth 708, East Zone reduced South Zone to 242/6, putting themselves firmly in the driving seat.
South Zone struggled against a disciplined East Zone bowling attack and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Devdutt Padikkal tried to put up a fight with a well-made 62, but the rest of the batting line-up failed to offer much resistance.
At stumps, Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on a fighting 56, keeping South Zone's hopes alive. He was joined at the crease by Chama Milind, who was unbeaten on 13.
Earlier, South Zone lost several key batters cheaply. Narayan Jagadeesan was dismissed for 32, while Ricky Bhui and Rashid failed to make a significant impact. Ravichandran Smaran contributed 23 before departing, while Shreyas Gopal was dismissed for 26.
For East Zone, Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar were the pick of the bowlers, claiming two wickets each. Quraishi and Shikhar Mohan picked up one wicket apiece.
South Zone still trail by a massive 466 runs, with two days of play remaining. Unless there is a dramatic turnaround, East Zone appear to be only a step away from lifting the Duleep Trophy.
