Duleep Trophy: Ankit Kumar, Yash Dhull slam tons for NZONE
What's the story
North Zone batters Ankit Kumar and Yash Dhull slammed tons on Day 3 of the ongoing Duleep Trophy quarter-final clash against East Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. The duo batted brilliantly in the third innings and brought up their respective tons in the second session. Their 240-run partnership has taken NZONE's lead past 550 runs. Here are their stats.
Knocks
Brilliant hundreds from the duo
NZONE's second innings went underway on Day 3. They started well with skipper Ankit and Shubham Khajuria (21) adding 54 runs for the first wicket. Dhull arrived following Khajuria's departure, and it was one-way traffic thereafter. The duo batted with brilliant intent as EZONE bowlers looked entirely ineffective. Dhull was the aggressor in the partnership as NZONE went past the 300-run mark.
Dhull
Eighth FC hundred for Dhull
Dhull was the first to be dismissed as he made 133 off 157 balls, having smoked 133 off 157 balls (14 fours, 3 sixes). This was his eighth First-Class hundred, which has taken his tally to 2,226 runs from 31 matches at 45-plus (50s: 6). Notably, Dhull made 39 in his first outing in the game.
Ankit
Hundreds in three successive games for Ankit
Ankit, who returned unbeaten on 168 off 264 balls at stumps on Day 3, has now scored hundreds in three successive FC games. The Haryana batter scored 136, 11, and 118 in his last three outings in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. Overall, this was his sixth FC ton. The opener has gone past 2,300 runs from 37 games at 38-plus (50s: 10).
Summary
What happened in the first two innings
Day 2 of the contest saw NZONE finish their first innings at 405/10. Ayush Badoni (63) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (76) made fifties as Manishi claimed six wickets. EZONE, in response, finished the day at 230/10 thanks to a fifer from Auqib Nabi. Virat Singh (69) was the only EZONE batter with a 50-plus score. Dhull and Ankit have now further tightened NZONE's grip.