Bengaluru : Centuries by skipper Ankit Kumar and Yash Dhull propelled North Zone to a dominant position over East Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2025. By stumps on Day Three at the BCCI COE Ground 1, North Zone reached 388/2 in 90 overs, holding a massive 563-run lead.

Ankit remained unbeaten on 168 off 264 balls, hitting 16 fours and a six. He shared a 240-run partnership with Dhull, who scored 133 off 157 deliveries, including 14 fours and three sixes. Ayush Badoni added support with 56 not out off 78 balls.

East Zone struggled on a cloudy day. Their bowling line-up faltered, and pacer Mukesh Kumar missed the match due to a hamstring strain. North Zone opted not to enforce the follow-on in the morning. Ankit and Shubham Khajuria opened with a 54-run stand before Khajuria was dismissed by Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal.

Ankit reached his fifty off 74 balls. Dhull attacked spinners Manishi and Riyan Parag, scoring a fifty in just 49 balls. Dhull completed his century off 112 balls, while Ankit reached his ton off 155 deliveries. Dhull’s innings ended after tea, trapped lbw by Parag.

Despite this, North Zone continued to dominate. Ankit surpassed 150 runs, and Badoni went past fifty before stumps. Spectators included Mohammed Siraj, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Jitesh Sharma, Shardul Thakur, B. Sai Sudharsan, and Karun Nair.

Brief Scores:
North Zone: 405 & 388/2 in 90 overs (Ankit Kumar 168*, Yash Dhull 133; Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 1-37, Riyan Parag 1-63)
East Zone: 230 all out in 56.1 overs (Virat Singh 69; Auqib Nabi 5-28)

North Zone’s performance in Duleep Trophy 2025 highlights their batting depth and control, leaving East Zone with a huge challenge to stage a comeback.

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