BENGALURU: led by Priyank Panchalspunky innings, West Zone challenged South Zone bowlers while chasing a formidable 298 and finished day four of the Duleep Trophy Final at 182 for five here on Saturday.
They still need 116 more races to retain their title, setting the stage for an exciting concluding day.
In the first session, South, who were 181 for 7 overnight, were knocked out for 230 as left arm spinner Dharmendra Jadeja grabbed five wickets.
But the protagonist of the day was the captain of the West zone. Panchal, who completed 8,000 runs in first-class cricket en route to his 92-for-205 balls, kept West’s hopes alive on a day of attrition.
Panchal and Sarfaraz Khan amassed 98 runs for the fifth wicket alliance in which the former was the driving force.
Panchal has been one of the nation’s most important hitters over the past few seasons, and it wasn’t hard to see why. He showcased his years of experience to thwart southern bowlers for 315 minutes.
The Gujarat hitter, who made headlines after his 1,310-run season in 2016-17, showed an unflappable temper despite steadily falling wickets at the other end.
Panchal and Cheteshwar Pujara (15) showed the first glimpse of West battling through a 57-run alliance for the third wicket from 125 balls.
They seemed unfazed for the most part, but pacemaker Vasuki Koushik ended the booming position by dismissing Pujara. The batting veteran’s thick outside edge went to short-legged forward Tilak Varma.
Suryakumar Yadav continued his disappointing show in this Duleep Trophy, falling for another low score.
Mumbaikar didn’t offer Koushik a shot when the ball came and hit his pads and referee Akshay Totre didn’t have to think long to lift a finger.
At 79 for 4, West looked like he was headed down the road and they needed some solidity.
Panchal and Sarfaraz (48) provided precisely that. They batted together for 126 minutes and for 157 balls as West began to dream of a win that seemed unlikely at one point.
Sarfaraz was also extremely lucky. While at zero, he left for a non-existent single and was fired by Panchal. But Sachin Baby’s throw was way over wicketkeeper Ricky Bhui’s head, saving Sarfaraz.
Vysakh Vijayakumar resorted to the short ball strategy which he employed with good results in the first innings.
But this time Panchal and Sarfaraz were better prepared to blunt him, even though the latter received a knock on his helmet.
Just when it looked like the pair would carry West to the end safely, Sarfaraz fell to R Sai Kishore. The left arm spinner pushed the ball through the air a bit quicker and Sarfaraz played all over to get knocked down.
South might be extremely relieved to see Sarfaraz return, but they still have a lot of work to do.
They still need 116 more races to retain their title, setting the stage for an exciting concluding day.
In the first session, South, who were 181 for 7 overnight, were knocked out for 230 as left arm spinner Dharmendra Jadeja grabbed five wickets.
But the protagonist of the day was the captain of the West zone. Panchal, who completed 8,000 runs in first-class cricket en route to his 92-for-205 balls, kept West’s hopes alive on a day of attrition.
Panchal and Sarfaraz Khan amassed 98 runs for the fifth wicket alliance in which the former was the driving force.
Panchal has been one of the nation’s most important hitters over the past few seasons, and it wasn’t hard to see why. He showcased his years of experience to thwart southern bowlers for 315 minutes.
The Gujarat hitter, who made headlines after his 1,310-run season in 2016-17, showed an unflappable temper despite steadily falling wickets at the other end.
Panchal and Cheteshwar Pujara (15) showed the first glimpse of West battling through a 57-run alliance for the third wicket from 125 balls.
They seemed unfazed for the most part, but pacemaker Vasuki Koushik ended the booming position by dismissing Pujara. The batting veteran’s thick outside edge went to short-legged forward Tilak Varma.
Suryakumar Yadav continued his disappointing show in this Duleep Trophy, falling for another low score.
Mumbaikar didn’t offer Koushik a shot when the ball came and hit his pads and referee Akshay Totre didn’t have to think long to lift a finger.
At 79 for 4, West looked like he was headed down the road and they needed some solidity.
Panchal and Sarfaraz (48) provided precisely that. They batted together for 126 minutes and for 157 balls as West began to dream of a win that seemed unlikely at one point.
Sarfaraz was also extremely lucky. While at zero, he left for a non-existent single and was fired by Panchal. But Sachin Baby’s throw was way over wicketkeeper Ricky Bhui’s head, saving Sarfaraz.
Vysakh Vijayakumar resorted to the short ball strategy which he employed with good results in the first innings.
But this time Panchal and Sarfaraz were better prepared to blunt him, even though the latter received a knock on his helmet.
Just when it looked like the pair would carry West to the end safely, Sarfaraz fell to R Sai Kishore. The left arm spinner pushed the ball through the air a bit quicker and Sarfaraz played all over to get knocked down.
South might be extremely relieved to see Sarfaraz return, but they still have a lot of work to do.
