Has Malewar’s 203 and North-East Zone’s Collapse Given Central Zone the Upper Hand?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Danish Malewar scored his maiden first-class double century.
- Central Zone declared at 532/4, putting them in a strong position.
- North-East Zone suffered a dramatic middle-order collapse.
- Yumnam Karnajit was the top scorer for North-East Zone.
- Aditya Thakare and Harsh Dubey were crucial in Central Zone's bowling attack.
Bengaluru, Aug 29 (NationPress) A remarkable innings of 203 by the in-form Danish Malewar, coupled with a stunning batting collapse from North East Zone, has positioned Central Zone in a dominant position by the end of Day Two in their Duleep Trophy encounter at the BCCI COE Ground 2 on Friday.
Malewar's exceptional performance led to Central Zone declaring at 532/4 in 102 overs. The North-East Zone started well at 128/2 but suffered a shocking collapse, losing five wickets for a mere eight runs, and concluded Day Two at 168/7 in 65 overs. With North-East Zone trailing by 364 runs, they face a significant challenge to prevent Central Zone from securing victory.
During the morning session, Malewar hit a boundary in the first over, crossing the 200 mark for the first time in his first-class career. He eventually retired on 203, allowing Shubham Sharma to take the crease. Yash Rathod capitalized on a lackluster bowling attack to achieve his seventh first-class fifty, and after Sharma's dismissal for 34, Central Zone declared at 532/4, leaving Rathod unbeaten on 87.
In their reply, Yumnam Karnajit and Doria established a 72-run opening partnership before Doria was bowled by Harsh Dubey. However, one wicket led to another as Yumnam was run out by captain Rajat Patidar, just two runs shy of a fifty.
Dubey captured his second wicket by having Jehu Anderson stumped for 17 off 77 balls. Thakare dismissed Ashish Thapa for 35, followed by quick wickets of Hem Chetri and Pheiroijam. R. Jonathan was run out by Malewar as stumps were called on yet another commanding day for Central Zone.
Brief scores:
Central Zone 532/4 dec in 102 overs (Danish Malewar 203 retired out, Rajat Patidar 125; Akash Kumar 2-103, Jotin Pheiroijam 1-80) lead North-East Zone 168/7 in 65 overs (Karnajit Yumnam 48, Ashish Thapa 35; Aditya Thakare 3-23, Harsh Dubey 2-19) by 364 runs.