The opening day of the Duleep Trophy 2025 semi-finals in Bengaluru was headlined by two commanding centuries from Ruturaj Gaikwad and Narayan Jagadeesan, even as Shreyas Iyer’s comeback bid faltered. South Zone closed Day 1 at a strong 297 for 3 against North Zone, while West Zone, riding on Gaikwad’s brilliance, reached 363 for 6 against Central Zone. Yashasvi Jaiswal failed as well, with a strong West Zone unit only saved by Gaikwad’s daddy ton.
Jagadeesan anchors South Zone
Asked to bat first by North Zone, South Zone’s openers gave a steady start and ensured there were no early jitters. Tanmay Agarwal (43) and Devdutt Padikkal (57) both chipped in with valuable contributions, but it was Narayan Jagadeesan who stole the day’s honours. The Tamil Nadu batter carried his bat through the entire day to finish unbeaten on 148, making sure South Zone remained in control despite a few interruptions for bad light.
Jagadeesan combined discipline, punishing the loose deliveries while keeping North Zone’s bowlers at bay for long stretches. His partnerships defined the day – 103 with Agarwal for the first wicket and another 123 with Padikkal for the second. The North Zone bowlers lacked consistency, gifting 22 extras, including 13 no-balls, which only made Jagadeesan’s task easier. By stumps, South Zone had lost only three wickets, leaving North with plenty of work ahead.
Brief Scores: South Zone 297/3 (Narayan Jagadeeasan 148* , Devdutt Padikkal 57; Nishant Sindhu 2-59, Anshul Kamboj 1-47) vs North Zone
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s masterclass lifts West Zone
Over at the other semi-final, it was Ruturaj Gaikwad who turned a shaky start into a position of strength for West Zone. Walking in at 10 for 2 with both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harvik Desai back in the hut within the first four overs, Gaikwad absorbed the early pressure before smacking a sparkling 184. His knock came off just 206 balls and included 25 fours and a six. After absorbing early pressure, Gaikwad let out his aggression in the second part of the innings.
Gaikwad’s innings was built in phases. He reached his fifty in 85 balls, his hundred in 131, and accelerated after tea to move past 150 in just 178 deliveries. Along the way, he found useful allies in Aarya Desai (39) and later Tanush Kotian, who played the perfect foil. Kotian’s unbeaten 65 and his 148-run stand with Gaikwad turned the game on its head, lifting West Zone from 179 for 5 to beyond 350.
There was a point where Gaikwad demoralised his CSK pacer in Khaleel Ahmed, smacking the left-armer for 22 runs (1 six and 4 fours) in an over.
Shreyas Iyer’s fails in 1st audition
In the middle of this, Shreyas Iyer’s brief stay stood out for the wrong reasons. The Mumbai batter, eyeing a return to India’s Test side, managed just 25 before Khaleel Ahmed breached his defence with an angled delivery that sent his middle stump cartwheeling.
For someone whose recent domestic numbers have been impressive, it was another missed chance to make a loud statement in red-ball cricket. With the selectors closely monitoring this tournament ahead of the home series against the West Indies, Iyer’s next innings will carry extra weight. Despite batting at a strike rate of almost 90, Iyer was undone with a score of 25 off 28. There’s no denying that Iyer likes to play aggressively but he needs runs under his belt.
Brief Scores: West Zone 363/6 (Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Tanush Kotian 65*; Khaleel Ahmed 2-70, Saransh Jain 2-109) vs Central Zone
