Duleep Trophy Final: Central Zone on verge of title as Yash Rathod misses double ton

BENGALURU: It required tremendous patience from Yash Rathod to turn setbacks into a memorable and enduring comeback. The 25-year-old has faced numerous disappointments. From failing to make the India U-19 team for the 2020 World Cup to warming the Vidarbha team bench and braving injuries, it’s been a rough ride.

Although the southpaw didn’t make an instant impact on his red-ball debut in the 2023-24 season, he’s worked his way up, utilizing the opportunities that came his way after Vidarbha stalwarts Faiz Fazal and Ganesh Satish moved on.

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Last season, he emerged as the highest run getter in the Ranji Trophy with 960 runs from 10 matches, and he’s already served a warning to the opposition in the season opener.

As Central Zone closed in on the Duleep Trophy title, Rathod fell agonizingly six runs short of a double hundred, but in the 480 minutes he spent at the crease, he was all heart and intent.

On Saturday, the bespectacled opener’s 194 was the highlight of Central’s first innings total of 511 in 145.1 overs, which left only the formalities to be completed against South Zone. South, who were bowled out for a paltry 149 in the first essay, started 363 runs behind in the second innings. At stumps on Day 3 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here, South were 129/2 in 33 overs. With the result a forgone conclusion, Mohammed Azharuddeen and his men were battling to salvage a draw and avoid an innings defeat.

Rathod, on 137, started the day in the company of Saransh Jain. Patience was a virtue they exhibited in abundance.

A clean hitter, Rathod focused on playing each delivery on merit. Loose shorts were not on his agenda.

Rathod and Saransh waited for the loose balls, which were duly dispatched to the boundary. They spent the better part of the first hour rotating strike. Saransh completed his 50 in 128 deliveries with a boundary through extra covers off Gurjapneet Singh's bowling.

Rathod brought up his 150 with a single in 223 deliveries. He settled down against the spinners, picked a maximum through long-off from Ricky Bhui's bowling and kept the scoreboard ticking.

Their sixth-wicket association was worth 176 runs. Saransh, who played defence through the morning, was the first to go. With runs trickling, Saransh went for a big one, missed the ball by a mile while attempting a reverse sweep against spinner Ankit Sharma (4/180) and lost his stumps.

Gurjapneet, South's most consistent bowler, denied Rathod his maiden double hundred. Rathod went for the defence and the ball sneaked between the bat and the pad to dislodge the bails. It didn't take South long to wrap up the tail.

Speaking about his performance, Rathod said, "I have always done well in the semifinals. But I did not perform in this Duleep Trophy semifinal. I had a firm belief that I was going to get runs in the final. I even told my friends that I was going to get big runs in the final. The confidence was there."

South, after a steady start, lost openers Tanmay Agarwal (26) and Mohit Kale (38) in quick succession.

Brief scores: South Zone (I innings): 149 all out & 129/2 in 33 overs (Tanmay Agarwal 26, Mohit Kale 38, Smaran R 37 batting, Ricky Bhui 26 batting) vs Central Zone (O/N:384/5): 511 all out in 145.1 overs (Yash Rathod 194, Saransh Jain 69, Deepak Chahar 37; Gurjapneet Singh 4/124, Ankit Sharma 4-180).

Catch Lovlina Borgohain's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 5. Watch Here