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North Zone have managed to take a considerable lead of 139 runs in the second innings against South Zone, finishing third day's play at 256/7 in the second Semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2026 being played here on Tuesday.
Day 3 started with South Zone skipper Tilak Varma adding crucial runs with 11th batter Kavuri Saiteja, who contributed 13 runs before Abid Mushtaq dismissed him. The duo added 42 runs for the 10th wicket, which helped the South post 312 runs in their first innings. Varma remained unbeaten on 116 after playing 250 balls and hitting nine boundaries in his gritty knock. His 175-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Shreyas Gopal helped South Zone stabilise their innings and get a lead in the first innings, which could prove vital if the match ends in a draw on Day 4. After restricting South Zone for 312 in their first innings, North Zone started their second innings with openers Sanat Sangwan and Qamran Iqbal. The duo added 25 runs before Saiteja dismissed Iqbal for just four runs. Then Sangwan (76) added 104 runs for the second wicket with Ayush Doseja (52). Both batters completed their respective half-centuries and looked good before losing their wickets. Ayush Badoni also contributed 31 runs off just 37 balls with the help of four boundaries. Abdul Samad and skipper Kanhaiya Wadhawan scored 14 runs each. Abid Mushtaq couldn't score more and lost his wicket to Shreyas Gopal after making just one run. Nishant Sindhu (20*) and Anshul Kamboj (29*) were unbeaten at the crease when the umpires called the stumps on Day 3. North Zone have a 139-run lead, and the tail is looking to set a 200+ target for their opponents on the final day of the match. MD Nidheesh, Kavuri Saiteja and Gopal shared two wickets each, whereas Vidwath Kaverappa took a wicket for South Zone. The winner of this match will clash with the Ishan Kishan-led East Zone in the final after Mukesh Kumar was named Player of the Match for taking seven wickets in the match. (ANI)
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