Central Zone won the Duleep Trophy 2014 by nine runs in a closely fought match on the fifth day at the Feroz Shah Kotla against South Zone. For most part of the five-day game, SZ had the upper-hand courtesy Lokesh Rahul’s twin centuries for the Vinay Kumar-led side.
The stylish opener from Karnataka assembled 185 in the team’s first innings after they had bowled CZ out for 276. And facing a target of 301, he scored 130 to take the team to 203 before returning to the pavilion on the morning of the final day. However, after the opener’s departure on the final day, the Piyush Chawla-led side held their nerve to skittle out the opposition for 291 to clinch the title.
The 301-run target which had seemed easily achievable with the on song Rahul at the crease became an uphill task after his departure. With 98 runs required to win with eight wickets in hand, SZ were comfortably placed but the match turned on its head as the batsmen to follow succumbed to the CZ attack.
Five wickets followed Rahul’s wicket for 77 runs until the end of the first session. While Dinesh Karthik was sent back for a duck by Pankaj Singh; spinners Saxena and Chawla dealt crucial blows by dismissing R Prasanna and Baba Aparajith. While Hanuma Vihari handed a return catch to Saxena, skipper Vinay Kumar was castled by Murtaza signaling Lunch with SZ on 280/7.
With the match precariously placed, Shreyas Gopal and Pragyan Ojha resumed the, with SZ still 12 runs short of the target. CZ captain struck to remove Ojha, with the team on 289/8, Abhimanyu Mithun came to the crease but returned without adding to the scorecard. Murtaza knocked back the lower-order bat’s middle-stump to claim the ninth SZ wicket. And in his next over, the left-arm spinner bowled Gopal to take CZ team to victory.
Seizing the opportunity after the wicket of Rahul, the CZ bowlers stepped up the pressure and pulled off an incredible win on Sunday afternoon.
Earlier after opting to bat, Robin Bist (79) top-scoring for Central Zone had helped the side to a respectable first innings total. South Zone then got off to a good start with openers Robin Uthappa and Rahul putting together 168 until the former was trapped lbw by Saxena. Rahul, however, went on to score a massive century even as rest of the lineup, except Vihari (75) struggled to put runs on the board. The duo’s knocks helped the team to a healthy 379 before being bowled out.
In their second outing, CZ put up a better performance with the openers – Faiz Fazal (72) and Saxena (71) laying a 128-run foundation. Bist then returned to anchor the innings with an unbeaten 112 and took his side to 403 and set the opposition a sizeable target. Murtuza’s half-century lower down the order helped put useful runs on the board even as Gopal (4 wickets) and Ojha (3 wickets) ran through the lineup. CZ then bowled SZ out for 291 to lift the trophy.
