Jagadeesan’s Ton Propels South; Gaikwad Anchors West’s Fightback

N. Jagadeesan shone brightly with an unbeaten 148, leading South Zone to a solid 297 for three against North Zone on the first day of their Duleep Trophy semifinal in Bengaluru on Thursday.

The BCCI COE Ground (1) pitch offered little assistance to the bowlers, allowing Jagadeesan to anchor the innings for over six hours. He and his opening partner, Tanmay Agarwal, who scored 43 off 99 balls with five boundaries, successfully handled the new ball, sustaining their partnership into the second session. As the afternoon sun made a rare appearance on the otherwise cloudy day, Jagadeesan began finding his scoring opportunities, effortlessly lofting any deliveries pitched full by spinners Nishant Sindhu and Mayank Dagar for boundaries.

Jagadeesan, recently called up as Rishabh Pant’s replacement in the Test squad, capitalized on an early reprieve. On nine runs, he edged a delivery from fast bowler Anshul Kamboj, but luck favored him as it was declared a no-ball.

Devdutt Padikkal contributed a fluent 57 off 71 balls, highlighted by seven boundaries. However, a reckless shot outside off against Kamboj led to his dismissal.

In another semifinal match, Ruturaj Gaikwad grabbed the spotlight with a commanding 184, propelling West Zone to 363 for six against Central Zone. Gaikwad entered the fray when his team was under minor pressure at 10 for two, just before Shreyas Iyer.

The Maharashtra batter found ample support from Aarya Desai (39), Shreyas (25), and Tanush Kotian, who remains unbeaten on 65 off 121 balls with five boundaries, reaching his eighth First Class century. Gaikwad seemed poised for a maiden double century until he was stumped by off-spinner Saransh Jain.

Shreyas Iyer’s aspirations to impress the national selectors were thwarted by a poor shot. Attempting a late cut to a sharp, straight delivery from left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, he lost his stumps. Yashasvi Jaiswal also had a disappointing outing, falling leg-before to Khaleel in the first over.

The scores at the close of play were as follows:

At BCCI COE Ground (1): South Zone 297/3 in 81 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 43, N. Jagadeesan 148 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 57) vs. North Zone.

At BCCI COE Ground (2): West Zone 363/6 in 87 overs (Aarya Desai 39, Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Tanush Kotian 65 not out).

Published on September 4, 2025.