Deodhar Trophy 2023: In an impressive display, South Zone secured their ninth Deodhar Trophy title with a convincing 45-run victory over East Zone in the final at the Puducherry Siechem Ground. Mayank Agarwal led the South Zone team, who successfully defended a respectable total of 328 runs. The match saw Rohan Kunnummal’s dazzling century in the first innings and a fiery spell by Koushik in the second innings, contributing significantly to South Zone’s triumph.
South Zone rakes in 9th Deodhar Trophy title
Winning the toss, South Zone captain Mayank Agarwal elected to bat first in Pondicherry. He and 25-year-old Rohan Kunnummal formed a formidable opening partnership, amassing an impressive 181 runs, setting a new record for the highest opening partnership in Deodhar Trophy history for South Zone. Kunnummal’s batting was exceptional, reaching a splendid century in just 68 balls during the high-pressure match.
After N Jagadeesan’s remarkable achievement of scoring five consecutive centuries in the 2022 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he continued his impressive form by playing a gritty knock of 54(60) in the South Zone’s innings. His contribution helped stabilize the team and ensured they surpassed the 300-run mark, concluding their innings at 328-8. Shahbaz Ahmed and Utkarsh Singh emerged as the standout bowlers for East Zone, each picking up two wickets at an economy rate of less than five.
South Zone remained unfazed by an early dropped catch, as Vasuki Koushik struck to dismiss East Zone’s star batter, Abhimanyu Easwaran, on the very first ball of the following over. The situation worsened for East Zone as Virat Singh also fell in the fourth over, becoming Koushik’s second victim of the night, leaving the scorecard at 10-2. Despite surviving the dropped catch, Utkarsh Singh couldn’t capitalize on his luck and was dismissed in the very next over. With the top order collapsing like a pack of cards, the pressure mounted on East Zone, as the scorecard showed a meagre 14-3.
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Riyan Parag notches brilliant 95
Riyan Parag, the star performer for East Zone, showcased his brilliance as he formed an incredible hundred-run partnership with Kumar Kushagra. Parag’s aggressive batting style included five impressive sixes and eight fours before a heartbreaking lbw appeal led to his dismissal at 95. Despite reviewing the decision, the ball tracking displayed three red signs, forcing him to depart from the pitch. Kumar Kushagra put up a valiant effort afterwards, scoring 68(58), but was eventually dismissed as well. Unfortunately, the team couldn’t fully recover from these setbacks and fell short of the championship by a narrow margin of 45 runs, despite Parag and Kushagra’s courageous knocks.
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