Tilak Varma, fifty seals, seven wickets in South Zone, registers Duleep Trophy final against East Zone

South Zone captain Tilak Verma (PTI Photo) South Zone booked their place in the Duleep Trophy final with a convincing seven-wicket victory over North Zone, with skipper Tilak Varma completing the job with a patient half-century at the BCCI Center of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru on Wednesday.Chasing 181 for victory, South Zone reached 182/3 with Tilak unbeaten on 51. R Smaran kept him company in an unbeaten 79-run partnership as South Zone completed the chase with plenty to spare.

Nidheesh’s five-for leaves the north zone with a modest target

Resuming on Day 4 at 256/7 with a lead of 139, North Zone could only add 41 runs before being bowled out for 297. Anshul Kamboj and Nishant Sindhu extended their partnership to 60 before Kamboj was dismissed by MD Nidheesh for 36.Gurnoor Brar and Arshdeep Singh hit sixes each but Nidheesh cleaned up both runs to complete the five-wicket haul. He finished with 5/56 as North Zone bowled, leaving Sindhu on 35.

Tilak and Smaran complete the chase in style

South Zone started their chase steadily as Ricky Bhui and Narayan Jagadeesan added 64 for the opening wicket. Bhui chose the attacking route, hitting seven fours in a 53-ball 42 before falling to Brar. Shaik Rasheed was then bowled by Abid Mushtaq for one, but Jagadeesan and Tilak ensured no further damage was done before lunch, taking South Zone to 72/2.The pair continued to consolidate in the second session, crossing the south zone for 100 before Jagadeesan was dismissed by Mushtaq for 43. With the target still within reach, Tilak joined forces with Smaran to put the result beyond doubt.Tilak hit two boundaries off Kamboja and another against Mushtaq, while Smaran attacked Ayush Badoni’s offspin with several boundaries of his own. North Zone’s decision to turn part-time in the closing stages underlined their fading hopes.Tilak eventually sealed the victory with a boundary that also brought up his half-century.

A hundred in the first innings laid the foundation

The South Zone captain played the decisive innings of the match in the very first innings, scoring an unbeaten 116 after his side slipped to 80/5 while chasing 195 runs in the North Zone. His 175-run partnership with Shreyas Gopal, who made 87, helped the South Zone post a decisive 117-run first over.North Zone briefly battled past fifties from Sanat Sangwan and Ayush Doseja, but their collapse in the second innings on Day 3 left them with too much work to do. South Zone will face East Zone in the final at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai from September 6 after East Zone defeated Central Zone by four wickets in the second semi-final.

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Share an opinionBrief scores: North Zone 195 & 297 (Sanat Sangwan 76, Ayush Doseja 52; MD Nidheesh 5/56, Kavuri Saiteja 2/57) lost to South Zone 312 & 182/3 (Tilak Varma 51*, R32Narayan, Bhudesan; Bidickyan Mushtaq). 2/55) by seven wickets.