Central Zone secured a convincing 170-run victory over East Zone in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, propelled by an outstanding performance from Saurabh Kumar who claimed eight wickets.
East Zone, starting the day at 69 for 6, failed to mount any significant resistance and were eventually bundled out for 129 in their second innings.
Saurabh's exceptional bowling display included dismissing Riyan Parag, East's last hope; and he went on to claim the wickets of Akash Deep, Shahbaz Nadeem, and Ishan Porel, finishing with impressive figures of 8 for 64.
With a total of 11 wickets in the match, Saurabh showcased his brilliance.
It was a surprising collapse for East Zone, considering the pitch conditions did not pose any significant challenges.
In the upcoming semifinals, Central Zone will face West Zone at the Alur grounds starting from July 5, while North Zone will take on South Zone at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
North Zone crushed North East Zone by 511 runs in the other quarterfinal.
