How Did Malewar And Shubham's Fifties Propel Central Zone's Response Against West Zone?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Danish Malewar scored a solid 76 runs.
- Shubham Sharma remained unbeaten on 60.
- Captain Rajat Patidar contributed 47 runs.
- West Zone was all out for 438 runs.
- Central Zone ended Day Two at 229/2.
Bengaluru, Sep 5 (NationPress) A remarkable performance by Danish Malewar and Shubham Sharma, supported by an unbeaten 47 from captain Rajat Patidar, propelled Central Zone to a formidable position, finishing Day Two of their Duleep Trophy semifinal at 229/2 in 67 overs, trailing West Zone by 209 runs at BCCI COE Ground 2 on Friday.
Earlier in the day, West Zone was dismissed for 438 runs over 108 overs, with Ruturaj Gaikwad scoring an impressive 184, complemented by fifties from Tanush Kotian (58) and Shardul Thakur (52). However, their innings ended abruptly, losing their last four wickets for just 27 runs. Central Zone’s spinners, Harsh Dubey and Saransh Jain, each took three wickets.
Malewar’s 76 and Shubham’s 60 not out, alongside Patidar’s unbeaten 47 off 59 balls, indicate that Central Zone remains firmly in control of the match. Malewar and Aayush Pandey built a solid opening partnership of 67 runs. After Pandey was dismissed for 40, Malewar formed a crucial 93-run partnership with Shubham before getting out to Dharmendrasinh Jadeja.
Patidar appeared composed at stumps alongside Shubham. Conversely, West Zone’s bowlers struggled with consistency, notably Thakur and Tushar Deshpande, while Kotian and Jadeja failed to apply pressure effectively.
Earlier, Kotian had a narrow escape when Pandey dropped his catch at gully off Khaleel Ahmed. Thakur, who resumed the day on 24, swiftly reached his half-century in 83 balls, helping West Zone surpass the 400-run mark. However, a miscommunication with Kotian led to Thakur's run-out, triggering a collapse for West Zone.
Left-arm spinner Dubey broke through Kotian's defenses while off-spinner Saransh trapped Jadeja lbw. Both spinners ended the day with three wickets each, as Central Zone seized the initiative.
Brief scores:
West Zone 438 all out in 108 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Tanush Kotian 76; Harsh Dubey 3-118, Saransh Jain 3-121) lead Central Zone 229/2 in 67 overs (Danish Malewar 76, Shubham Sharma 60 not out; Arzan Nagwaswalla 1-15, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja 1-38) by 209 runs