Duleep Trophy: Ankit, Dhull put NZONE on top vs EZONE
What's the story
North Zone batters Ankit Kumar and Yash Dhull scored brilliant centuries against East Zone on Day 3 of the ongoing Duleep Trophy quarter-final clash at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. While Dhull perished for 133, captain Ankit returned unbeaten as NZONE finished the day at 388/2. As they already had a 175-run first-innings lead, their overall lead has reached 563 runs. Here is the Day 3 report.
Match progression
A solid partnership between Ankit and Dhull
NZONE's second innings began on Day 3 with skipper Ankit and Shubham Khajuria putting up a solid opening stand of 54 runs. Dhull joined Ankit after Khajuria's dismissal, and the duo took control of the game from there. They attacked the EZONE bowlers with intent and added 240 runs for the second wicket. After Dhull's departure, Ankit found another potent partner in Ayush Badoni (56*). The two batters recorded an unbeaten 94-run stand as NZONE finished on a high.
Previous innings
Recap of first two innings
On Day 2 of the match, NZONE had posted a mammoth total of 405/10 in their first innings. Badoni (63) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (76) scored half-centuries while Manishi took six wickets for EZONE. In reply, EZONE ended the day at 230/10 with Virat Singh (69) being the only one to score a 50-plus. Auqib Nabi claimed a double hat-trick and a fifer.
Dhull
Eighth FC hundred for Dhull
Dhull departed for 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. The young batter made twin centuries on his First-Class debut against Tamil Nadu in February 2022,.
Ankit
Hundreds in three successive games for Ankit
Ankit, who returned unbeaten on 168 off 264 balls, 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).
Badoni
Successive fifties for Badoni
Badoni, who returned unbeaten on 56 off 78 balls, scored his second 50-plus score in the match. He made a 60-ball 63 to bolster North Zone on Day 1 of the contest as well. With an impeccable bat flow, Badoni has emerged as a prolific middle-order batter in Indian cricket. In just 15 First-Class games, he has raced past 1,150 runs at an average of over 55. His tally includes three tons and five half-centuries.
Bowlers
How did the bowlers fare?
It was a tough day for the EZONE bowlers as Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (1/37 from 9 overs) and captain Riyan Parag (1/63 from 17 overs) were the only ones to strike. Mohammed Shami continues to struggle on his red-ball return as he delivered 11 wicket-less overs, conceding 36 runs. Left-arm spinner Manishi, who claimed a six-fer in his first outing, also failed to strike across 22 overs. Utkarsh Singh and Mukhtar Hussain bowled 19 and 12 overs, respectively, without success.