Indrajith ton leads South Zone’s charge

Coimbatore: A few players involved in the Duleep Trophy came into the tournament disappointed after having failed to make the India ‘A’ team for the home series against New Zealand ‘A’. But it didn’t discourage them as they used the setback to fuel their ambitions.
Two of them stood out for their application, skill and the ability to soak in the pressure in the final on Thursday.
While centurion Baba Indrajith (118; 125b; 14x4) did the star turn for South Zone, old warhorse Jaydev Unadkat (3/52) combined with fellow pacer Atit Sheth (3/51) to keep West Zone in the contest. At the end of the second day here, South managed a slender lead of 48 runs, reaching 318/7. West, who resumed at 250/8, were bowled out for 270.
Opening day hero Het Patel was unfortunate to miss out on a century, finishing on 98 (189; 6x4; 1x6). For South, Sai Kishore completed a five-wicket haul (5/86).
While the lead was built around Indrajith’s 179-minute stay at the crease, the Karnataka duo of Manish Pandey (48; 69b; 4x4; 2x6) and K Gowtham (43; 55b; 3x4; 3x6) emerged able allies to the Tamil Nadu right-hander.
Brief scores: West Zone: 270 (Patel 98) vs South Zone: 318/7 in 81 overs (B Indrajith 118, M Pandey 48, R Teja 26 n.o, Gowtham 43; Unadkat 3-52, A Sheth 3-51).