Mukesh Kumar took seven, and East Zone are in their first Duleep Trophy final since 2012-13

Central Zone resumed the third morning on 45 for three and were 63 for five not long after. They were bowled out for 158 before lunch, which left East Zone 159 to win, and East Zone got there in 39.3 overs for the loss of six wickets. That is the defending champions gone, with a full day of the semi-final unused, and East Zone into a Duleep Trophy final for the first time since they won the thing in 2012-13.

Mukesh Kumar bowled 12 overs and took four

Mukesh Kumar was named player of the match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru, and the figures explain it. Three for 56 in the first innings, four for 44 from 12 overs in the second, seven in the match.

The second-innings spell took out the top order and the captain. Kunal Chandela went for two. Aman Mokhade was lbw for 41 after 89 balls, which was the top score of the innings and about as hard as anyone had to work for runs all day. Rajat Patidar was bowled for five. Saransh Jain went for one.

Mohammed Shami took three for 56 at the other end, five in the match. Abhijit Sarkar bowled nine overs for 18 runs, three of them maidens.

The last two wickets added 61

Both sides had made exactly 266 first time round, so Central Zone’s second-innings total was also their lead. At 97 for eight that lead was 97, and the game was as good as over. Harsh Dubey and Arshad Khan then added 43 for the ninth wicket, and Arshad, who hit a six in his 25 off 36, was the last man out at 158 in the 51st over.

Those 61 runs from the last two wickets were the difference between a chase East Zone could walk and one that got briefly awkward.

Sooryavanshi again, and then a wobble at 124

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made 92 off 81 in the first innings on Monday. In the chase he made 40 off 43 with three fours and two sixes, and the opening stand with Abhimanyu Easwaran was worth 61 inside 14 overs before Yash Thakur had him caught by Patidar. Easwaran followed at 65 for 24 off 55 balls. Virat Singh went at 93.

Kushagra had taken it to 124 when Dubey had him caught by Yash Rathod, and off the very next ball Dubey bowled Anukul Roy for nought. Five down, 35 short, and the innings was suddenly Ishan Kishan and the lower order.

Kishan had missed time behind the stumps with a hand injury, with Kumar Kushagra deputising, but captained the side throughout, and he finished 39 not out from 41 balls with four fours and a six. He added 26 with Sudip Kumar Gharami and then saw it home with Shami, who was there at the end on eight. Dubey took four for 53 from 14 overs to go with his four for 66 in the first innings, eight wickets in the match and nothing to show for them.

East Zone have won this twice, both times against Central

East Zone’s two titles came back to back in 2011-12 and 2012-13, and Central Zone were the beaten side in both finals. Nothing since, and no final since either. Their route this year has been brutal rather than tight: they made 467 against North East Zone in the quarter-final, enforced the follow-on and won by an innings and 210 runs.

Their opponent is still being settled on the neighbouring pitch. North Zone closed the third day on 256 for seven in their second innings, 139 ahead of South Zone, who had made 312 in reply to North’s 195. One day is left in that one. The final starts in Chennai on 6 September.

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