Duleep Trophy 2025 semifinals: Shubham’s unbeaten ton rescues North against South on Day 3; Central poised to reach final

Duleep Trophy 2025 semifinals: Shubham’s unbeaten ton rescues North against South on Day 3; Central poised to reach final

Shubham Khajuria (128*, 245b, 20×4, 1×6) displayed dogged resilience even as North Zone suffered a late blip in its Duleep Trophy semifinal against South Zone at the BCCI CoE Ground (1) in Bengaluru on Friday.

Opener Khajuria gave his side hope, in the face of South Zone’s mammoth 536 total. The Jammu and Kashmir opener batted through the day to guide his side to 278 for five.

The task ahead for North Zone on the final day could have been a lot easier, if not for the loss of two late wickets. After providing able support to Khajuria in a 171-run fourth-wicket stand, Nishant Sindhu
(82, 148b, 9×4, 1×6) fell with less than half an hour to go for close of play.

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Sindhu paid the price for a rash stroke, attempting an uppercut to pacer Gurjapneet Singh which landed in the hands of deep third. Two overs later, South Zone was right back in it, when sharp fielding from Mohammed Azharuddeen caught Kanhaiya Wadhawan short of the crease.

From a comfortable 272 for three, North Zone slipped to a nervy 272 for five. The visitor, which needs 258 runs to erase the innings deficit, will take comfort in the presence of the steady Khajuria.

There was an injury scare for South’s Salman Nizar, who was struck on the leg when fielding at silly point. Nizar was carried off the ground by two teammates, as the medical personnel could not be found.

Nizar was then taken in an ambulance for treatment, and returned to the ground late in the day.

In the adjacent BCCI CoE Ground (2), Central Zone overhauled West Zone’s 438-run first-innings total. Overnight batters Shubham Sharma (96) and Rajat Patidar (77) started well, but the bulk of the heavy lifting was done by Upendra Yadav (87, 181b, 8×4, 2×4) and Harsh Dubey (75, 93b, 13×4). The duo came together with Central in a tricky spot at 322 for five, and took the team to safety with a 134-run sixth-wicket partnership.

Barring a miracle, Central – sitting on a lead of 114 runs – is sure to reach the final.

Published on Sep 06, 2025