The opening day of the 2025 Duleep Trophy final was about the ball dominating the bat as Central Zone shot out South Zone for a paltry total of 149 with the spinners ruling the roost. Saransh Jain (5-49) and Kumar Kartikeya (4-53) sliced through the South Zone batting line-up on a surface that aided spin right from the outset, with a lot of grip and turn available. Jain and Kartikeya made optimal use of the conditions to ensure that none of South Zone's batters were able to even get a fifty.
Tanmay Agarwal's 31 was the top-score for South Zone while Salman Nizar (24) and Ankit Sharma (20) also got starts but couldn't convert them into substantial contributions. While there were a lot of wonderfully plotted dismissals in the day, Kartikeya's delivery to South Zone skipper Mohammed Azharuddeen easily took the cake. It was not only the ball of the day but has also become an instant candidate for the 'ball of the year'. It's not always that left-arm wrist spinners opt to bowl round the wicket to right-handers except while trying to mix up the angles occasionally.
However, Kartikeya used it more as a frequent weapon and it gave him the big scalp of Azharuddeen. The delivery pitched on middle and leg, drawing Azharuddin with the angle but after pitching, it spun away sharply to beat the outside edge comfortably, disturbing the timber thereafter. There was a stamp of magic all over the delivery and Azharuddeen could do nothing except walk away with a bemused expression on his face. That dismissal just re-established Central Zone's dominance which they extended by completing a ruthless bowling performance to gain the early advantage in the summit clash.
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Kartikeya had a moderately successful 2024-25 Ranji season where he picked up 28 wickets from six games at an average of 24 with two four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul. The wrist spinner from Madhya Pradesh will be hoping to continue that momentum in the coming season too, and this Duleep Trophy performance will help him to maintain the tempo. Kartikeya was also the second highest wicket-taker in the 2021-22 Ranji season which Madhya Pradesh won.