Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 31 : The quarterfinal fixture of the ongoing Duleep Trophy between North Zone and East Zone ended in a draw on Sunday, with North Zone making it to the semifinals on the basis of their massive first-innings lead.
Led by Ayush Badoni's unbeaten 204*, North Zone batters continued to pile misery on East Zone bowlers on the final day of the Duleep Trophy encounter, the result for which was obvious heading into Day 5.
Resuming Saturday's play on 388 for 2, with a mammoth 563-run lead in hand, North Zone decided to bat on till the end and accept a draw after piling on 658 for 4 in the second innings. Ankit Kumar, who had resumed his innings on 168, was only two runs away from scoring his first first-class double century when he was taken by Mukhtar Hussain after adding 30 runs to his overnight total.
But that did not stop North Zone from launching its assault. In the first days of play, when there wasn't much help for the bowlers, Nishant Sindhu and Badoni produced a 157-run stand before Utkarsh Singh killed the first victim of the game. In the innings, Utkarsh bowled the majority of the overs and was demolished for 191 runs. Manishi, who had six wickets in the first innings, was unable to take any.
Earlier in the match, East Zone won the toss and opted to field. North Zone made 405-10 in their first innings with fifties from Ayush Badoni and Kanhaiya Wadhawan. East Zone in reply were bowled out for 230, with North Zone taking a massive lead of 175.
North Zone, which has advanced to the semifinals, will now face South Zone.
Brief scores: North Zone 405 & 658/4 (Ayush Badoni 204*, Ankit Kumar 198; Manishi 6/111). Vs East Zone 230 (Virat Singh 69; Auqib Nabi 5-28).