Ruturaj Gaikwad’s Brilliant 184 Puts West Zone Ahead in Duleep Trophy Semi-Final

Bengaluru, Sep 4  — Ruturaj Gaikwad delivered a stunning batting performance to rescue West Zone from a poor start on the opening day of the 2025/26 Duleep Trophy semi-final against Central Zone at the BCCI COE Ground 2.

Walking in at 10/2 after early strikes from Khaleel Ahmed and Deepak Chahar, Gaikwad showed patience at first before taking charge once the conditions became easier for batting. He went on to score a superb 184 runs from just 206 balls, hitting 25 fours and a six.

Gaikwad first found support from Aarya Desai, who made 39 in an 82-run stand for the third wicket. Later, Tanush Kotian provided stability with a crucial partnership of 148 runs for the sixth wicket. By stumps, Kotian was still unbeaten on 65 alongside Shardul Thakur, who was 24 not out. West Zone ended the day strongly at 363/6 in 87 overs, with plenty of runs left to add on day two.

Earlier, West Zone’s decision to bat first backfired when Khaleel trapped Yashasvi Jaiswal lbw for just four runs. Chahar then dismissed Harvik Desai at slip, leaving the team in deep trouble. Aarya Desai’s confident innings gave some relief, but he was bowled by Harsh Dubey for 39. After lunch, Khaleel removed captain Shreyas Iyer for 25, while Shams Mulani was stumped off Saransh Jain.

Despite the setbacks, Gaikwad remained steady. He reached his fifty in 72 balls, his century in 131 balls, and then powered on to 150 in just 178 deliveries. His innings not only lifted West Zone out of danger but also gave them a strong platform for the rest of the match.

Brief Scores: West Zone 363/6 in 87 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 184, Tanush Kotian 65 not out; Khaleel Ahmed 2-70, Saransh Jain 2-109) vs Central Zone.