Duleep Trophy: Rajat Patidar powers CZONE with twin 50-plus scores
What's the story
Central Zone have taken a commanding lead in the ongoing Duleep Trophy quarter-final clash against North East Zone. Having declared their second innings at 331/7, CZONE have set a massive target of 679 runs for their opposition in Bengaluru. The batting prowess of captain Rajat Patidar has been instrumental to CZONE's dominance. He scored a hundred on Day 1 and backed it up with a fifty. Let's decode his stellar show in the game.
1st innings
A fiery hundred in 1st innings
Patidar arrived to bat at number four on Day 1 after opener Aryan Juyal got retired hurt after scoring 60 runs. The CZONE skipper joined forces with Danish Malewar as the duo tormented the opposition with a double-century stand. Patidar dominated the partnership as his explosive ton came off just 80 balls. He eventually departed for a 96-ball 125, a knock laced with 21 fours and 3 sixes. Meanwhile, Malewar went on to score 203 as CZONE declared at 532/4d.
3rd innings
Another fifty on Day 3
CZONE gained a mammoth first-innings lead as NEZONE's first innings ended at just 185/10. Patidar added to the latter's woes with another fifty in his second outing. Arriving to bat at 48/3, he added 122 runs with centurion Shubham Sharma (122) as Central Zone's second innings ended at 331/7d. Patidar batted aggressively on this occasion as well, slamming 66 off just 72 balls. He smoked six fours and three sixes during his stay.
Stats
Remarkable return to FC cricket
Coming to his First-Class numbers, Patidar has raced to 4,929 runs from 69 matches at an average of 43-plus. He owns 14 tons and 25 half-centuries. Notably, Patidar broke into India's Test side last year on the back of his impressive domestic run. He made his Test debut against England in Visakhapatnam in February. However, he managed only 63 runs in three Test innings in that series, and was dropped thereafter.
Ranji Trophy
529 runs in 2024-25 Ranji Trophy
Meanwhile, Patidar made his bat talk in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy as well. The Madhya Pradesh batter hammered 529 runs from seven games at an average and strike rate of 48.09 and 77, respectively. The 32-year-old tallied three 50-plus scores, including a ton. The game against Haryana saw Patidar smoke the fifth-fastest century in the history of the Ranji Trophy, off just 68 balls.
Information
Glory with RCB
The year 2025 has been tremendous for captain Patidar as he ended Royal Challengers Bengaluru's wait for an Indian Premier League title. With the bat, he scored 312 runs at a strike rate of 143.77 as RCB lifted the coveted trophy. Notably, the season saw Patidar make his captaincy debut in the IPL.