Overview

• South Zone advanced over North Zone with a 175-run first-innings cushion after posting 536 and closing at 95/1 in a draw.
• Central Zone booked their place with a 162-run first-innings lead, piling 600 in reply to West Zone’s 438 before the match ended drawn at 216/8.
• Narayan Jagadeesan starred for South with 197 and an unbeaten 52, while Gurjapneet Singh (4/96) and MD Nidheesh (3/82) finished the North innings despite Shubham Khajuria’s 128.
• Central’s charge featured fifties from Shubham Sharma (96), Upendra Yadav (87), Rajat Patidar (77) and Harsh Dubey (75), with Saransh Jain contributing 63* and a 5/84 haul to earn Player of the Match honors.
• West wicketkeeper Harvik Desai suffered a quadriceps injury and was replaced by Saurabh Nawale, as both finalists now brace to lose names such as Jagadeesan, Devdutt Padikkal, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur and Khaleel Ahmed to India A from September 12.