Duleep Trophy: Rajat Patidar smokes blistering ton on red-ball return
What's the story
Indian batter Rajat Patidar made a stunning comeback to red-ball cricket by scoring a blistering century in the ongoing Duleep Trophy match between Central Zone and East Zone. Patidar's explosive ton came off just 80 balls at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground B, Bengaluru. He hit 18 fours and 2 sixes during his innings, marking his return after recovering from multiple injuries.
Match details
Central Zone recover after early wicket
Patidar took over as Central Zone's captain after wicketkeeper Dhruv Jurel was ruled out of the quarter-final due to a groin niggle. North East Zone won the toss and elected to field. They dismissed CZONE opener Akash Choudhary cheaply in the third over. However, Danish Malewar and Aryan Juyal steadied the ship with a solid partnership for the second wicket.
Game progress
Patidar, Malewar punish North East Zone's bowling attack
Despite Juyal retiring hurt on 60 runs, Patidar and Malewar maintained Central Zone's dominance over North East Zone's weakened bowling attack. While Malewar took a more cautious approach, Patidar went all out against the opposition bowlers. Central Zone were sitting pretty at 347/1 when Patidar was dismissed by Pheiroijam Jotin. He departed for a 96-ball 125, a knock laced with 21 fours and 3 sixes.
Career outlook
Patidar looking to make a statement
Patidar bounced back in red-ball cricket after a decent 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. He ended Royal Challengers Bengaluru's wait for an IPL title, leading them to the coveted trophy. With the bat, he scored 312 runs at a strike rate of 143.77. Coming to his First-Class numbers, Patidar has slammed over 4,800 runs from 69 matches at an average of 43-plus. He owns 14 tons and 24 half-centuries.