Duleep Trophy: N Jagadeesan falls short of double century by three runs; South Zone pile up 536 against North Zone

Bengaluru: Six minutes before noon on Friday, South Zone’s players and staff were seen waiting in quiet anticipation. Photographers had picked their vantage points to capture a milestone. The stage was set for opener N Jagadeesan to bring up his double hundred.Just three runs away from the mark, Jagadeesan was looking in supreme touch. Then, out of nowhere, disaster struck in the form of a terrible mix-up between him and his partner at the other end, Rickey Bhui. The latter, unwilling to sacrifice his wicket during a risky single, ensured that the fuming Tamil Nadu batter trudged back to the pavilion.South were eventually bowled out for 536 in 169.2 overs on Day Two of their Duleep Trophy semifinal contest against North Zone. The highlight was Jagadeesan’s innings and the manner of his dismissal. His fine batting performance ensured South gained the upper hand. The bowling side was made to toil, with left-arm spinner Nishant Sindhu returning the pick with a haul of 5/125 from a staggering 47.2 overs.North made early inroads with Anshul Kamboj (2/67), sending back opposition skipper Mohammed Azharuddin off the second delivery of the day. Jagadeesan, who began the day on 148, joined forces with Bhui (54) for an 87-run fifth-wicket partnership.Jagadeesan, who survived on nine on the opening day, was again dropped by Sindhu off Yudhvir Singh on 163. The 29-year-old looked to make the most of it as he battened down the hatches. Just when it looked like they had the game wrapped tight, Bhui called for a single before realizing the ball was with Sindhu at point. By then, Jagadeesan, head down, had taken off. The pair were both caught at the same end.Central frustrate WestIn the other last-four contest at the adjoining ground, West Zone, who began the day at 363/6, folded for 438. Skipper Shardul Thakur’s run-out triggered a collapse as West lost their last four wickets for just 27 runs.In reply, Central Zone were cruising at 229/2 in 67 overs. On a pitch that offered little barring some turn, Ayush Pandey (59) and Danish Malewar (76) gave Central a good start which Shubham Sharma (batting on 60) and skipper Rajat Patidar (batting on 47) then built on.BRIEF SCORESSZ 536 in 169.2 overs (Jagadeesan 197, Padikkal 57, Ricky Bhui 54, Thygarajan 58; Nishant Sindhu 5-125) vs NZWZ 438 in 108 overs (Gaikwad 184, Kotian 76, Shardul 64; Saransh Jain 3-121, Harsh Dubey 3-118) vs CZ 229/2 in 67 overs (Malewar 76, Shubham Sharma batting 60).