Duleep Trophy: South Zone Storm Into Final

South Zone stormed into the Duleep Trophy final after defeating North Zone by seven wickets in the second semi-final. Continuing from 256/7 on Wednesday, North Zone were bowled out for 297 in their second innings, setting South Zone a target of 181 runs. South Zone chased down the target for the loss of three wickets, with openers Ricky Bhui (42 off 53) and Narayan Jagadeesan (43 off 83) providing a strong start. Captain Tilak Varma remained unbeaten on 51 off 79 balls, while Ravichandran Smaran scored an unbeaten 32 off 42 balls to complete the chase.

North Zone were dismissed for 195 in their first innings, while South Zone posted 312, powered by an unbeaten 116 from Tilak Varma off 250 balls, including nine fours. Varma’s all-round batting contribution across both innings earned him the Player of the Match award. South Zone will face East Zone, led by Ishan Kishan, in the Duleep Trophy final, scheduled to begin on September 6 at the Chepauk Stadium.