Duleep Trophy 2025 final: Rajat Patidar continues sensational form to put Central Zone in command

Central Zone took giant strides towards the Duleep Trophy title on the second day of the final against South Zone in Bengaluru. Resuming at  50/0, Central Zone lost three wickets in the first session to find themselves at 93/3 but Patidar along with Yash Rathod stitched up a marathon stand to ease their side into the lead. The duo added 167 for the third wicket with both batters going at a high tempo but Patidar's intent game stole the show. In his 115-ball knock, Patidar struck 12 boundaries and cleared the ropes twice as well. The century continued the Madhya Pradesh batter's stellar Duleep Trophy campaign after scores of 125 and 66 in the quarterfinal that was followed by 77 in the semifinal. Patidar kept up the tempo and form to produce another impact innings for Central Zone.

The RCB captain didn't waste any time in getting off the blocks as he struck the third delivery he faced to the fence off Vasuki Koushik. It was a half-volley that he creamed wide of the mid-off fielder to fetch himself a boundary. The very next ball was another overcooked delivery, this time a bit too straight and Patidar dished out the on-drive to beat mid-on to his right. These two shots showed that the Central Zone skipper was in his elements right from the get-go. He punished anything remotely loose and offered the full face of the bat against the fullish deliveries, forcing South Zone's bowlers to drag their length back. Once they did that, there was the risk of bowling too short and Patidar's strong back foot game feasted on that as well.

There was a massive moment in the game's play when Patidar had a brain fade moment, offering no shot to a slider to be trapped LBW, only for replays to show that the bowler Ankit Sharma had overstepped. That reprieve proved costly for South Zone as Patidar went about his job with minimal fuss. His gameplay against spin is well-documented and Patidar took on South Zone's tweakers including Ankit with aplomb. The sweeps came out frequently and he also used his feet both to come down the pitch as well as to use the depth of the crease. South Zone thought of throwing a bait with part-timer Ricky Bhui but that went horribly wrong as Patidar slammed the veteran for 18 in an over including two fours and a six.

As his innings progressed, there was a clear plan from Patidar to keep his foot on the accelerator and he didn't back down even when he was in his 80s and 90s. Once he got to his well-deserved ton, Patidar fell soon after as his attempt to hook a short ball only resulted in a soft edge that was taken down the leg-side. Patidar's dismissal was soon followed by that of Upendra Yadav but Rathod has looked solid at the crease, batting on 76* at tea with Central Zone's lead a healthy 127 with five wickets still in the tank.