Duleep Trophy: Malewar And Patidar Centuries Put Central Zone In Driver's Seat

North East Zone: Centuries from Danish Malewar and Rajat Patidar have placed Central Zone firmly in control on the opening day of their Duleep Trophy clash against North East Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on Thursday. At stumps, Central Zone reached 432/2 in 77 overs, with Malewar unbeaten on 198 off 219 balls, laced with 35 fours and a six. Patidar, captaining in place of injured Dhruv Jurel, hit 125 off just 96 balls his 14th first-class century laced with 21 fours and three sixes, as the duo ensured Central Zone seized early momentum. Pushed into batting first by North East Zone, Central Zone suffered an early blow when Ayush Pandey was dismissed for just three by Akash Kumar. With Malewar coming in, Aryan Juyal stabilised Central Zones innings by making 60 off 100 balls, including hitting eight boundaries before retiring hurt. After that, Patidar walked in and brought his half-century in just 42 balls. His whirlwind batting continued when he reached his century off just 80 balls, before eventually being dismissed for 125 by Jotin Pheiroijam. Malewar, meanwhile, also reached his third first-class century in 144 balls and became the first Vidarbha batter to score a century on debut in the Duleep Trophy. What makes it even more special is that Malewar had hit a match-defining 153 and 73 in the Ranji Trophy final, which played one of the vital roles in Vidarbha winning the championship at its home turf in Nagpur. After that, Patidar walked in and brought his half-century in just 42 balls. His whirlwind batting continued when he reached his century off just 80 balls, before eventually being dismissed for 125 by Jotin Pheiroijam. Also Read: LIVE Cricket Score Brief Scores: Central Zone 432/2 in 77 overs (Danish Malewar 198 not out, Rajat Patidar 125; Jotin Pheiroijam 1-56, Akash Kumar 1-73) against North East Zone. Article Source: IANS