On the second day of the Duleep Trophy semi-final, Central Zone was completely blown away by Arzan Nagwaswalla’s five-wicket haul.
On the second day of the Duleep Trophy semi-final here on Thursday, after left-arm medium pacer, Arzan Nagwaswalla’s five-wicket haul floored Central Zone, West Zone took full control thanks to the half-centuries of Cheteshwar Pujara and Suryakumar Yadav. West Zone had 149 for 3 at stumps in their second essay, putting them 241 runs ahead of their opponents. After the West Zone added only four runs to their overnight score, Shivam Mavi (6/44) quickly finished up their first inning. Central Zone scored 128 runs in 31.3 overs, but their elation was short-lived because of the devastating bowling performance of Nagwaswalla, who traveled to England as a net bowler with the senior India side in 2021.
His six-wicket haul was his sixth in first-class cricket, and despite being hit for runs, he always got the breakthrough at the perfect time.
Not a single Central batsman scored more than 46, and seven were out before they reached double figures. Dhruv Jurel (48) and Rinku Singh (48) batted for the winning UP side.
At the end of the second day’s play, Pujara was still undefeated on 50 off 103 balls with five boundaries, and the West hitters had given a much better account of themselves after jumping out to a 92-run lead in the first innings.
Suryakumar scored 52 runs off 58 balls, including eight fours and a six, which may have been the game-winning run for West. The two India national team members combined to score 95 runs in a little over 24 overs.
After being out for 12 balls in the first innings, Sarfaraz Khan, batting sixth, will get another shot.
The West, with one foot already in the summit door, would like to end the game as a contest on the third day, which is predicted to be the best day for batting, unless Avesh Khan and Shivam Mavi bowl a miraculous spell and keep the target within reach.
Suryakumar was harsh on the pacers, including Avesh (whom he pulled for a six behind square), Mavi, and Yash Thakur. He had three boundaries against left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar and three against pacer Yash Thakur. Mavi’s bowling resulted in a pair of fence hits.
A few extra-cover drives, a couple of clips towards deep mid-wicket, and a square cut that raced away were all part of Pujara’s performance.
His self-esteem would undoubtedly be boosted by a huge score after being left off the Indian team’s West Indies tour roster.
