Duleep Trophy 2025: Danish Malewar shines as Rajat Patidar-led Central Zone qualify for semis

Central Zone sealed their place in the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy 2025 after a clinical first-innings performance against North East Zone in the quarter-final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground B, Bengaluru. The match ended in a draw on the final day, but Central progressed based on their 347-run first-innings lead.

The star of the contest was Danish Malewar, who produced a marathon knock of 203 in the first innings. His effort, along with captain Rajat Patidar’s 125 off 96 deliveries, put Central in a dominating position. Malewar retired after spending more than five hours at the crease, hammering 36 fours and a six. Yash Rathod added an unbeaten 87 as Central declared at 532/4.

The North East Zone failed to put on a convincing first-inning score. Aditya Thakare (3/23) and Harsh Dubey (2/20) ran through the middle order, while Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar chipped in with wickets. Despite efforts from opener Karnajit Yumnam (48) and Ankur Malik (42), North East were bundled out for 185, conceding a massive first-innings deficit.

With an outright result unlikely, Central came to bat again instead of enforcing the follow-on. This helped Shubham Sharma to make a strong case for himself with a 122. Patidar added 66, while Rathod hit 78. Central declared at 331/7, setting North East a target of 679 for victory.

North East chased saw contributions from Jehu Anderson (64) and captain Rongsen Jonathan (60), who stitched a 110-run stand for the fourth wicket. Their batting even saw them take on Kuldeep Yadav, who ended wicketless across both innings. But late blows from Shubham Sharma (2/10) and Dubey (2/53) reduced North East to 200/6, before both captains shook hands at tea on the final day. Meanwhile, Central Zone made progress to the semi-finals, where they will face West Zone from September 4 in Bengaluru.