Rajat Patidar powers Central Zone with a stunning 80-ball hundred against North-East Zone in the Duleep Trophy, strengthening his case for a spot in Team India.
Patidar hammered 18 fours and two sixes to notch up his 14th first-class century. Coming in after wicketkeeper Aryan Juyal retired hurt on 60, he raced to his fifty off just 42 balls. In the same innings, Vidarbha’s Danish Malewar also registered a century, reaching the milestone in 144 deliveries.
At tea, Central Zone stood at 314/1 with Patidar unbeaten on 111 and Malewar on 132.
Initially, Dhruv Jurel—who had replaced Rishabh Pant in India’s win over England at the Oval—was set to captain the Central side with Patidar as his deputy. However, Jurel missed the quarterfinal against North-East due to a groin injury.
The Central XI features key players like Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, and Kuldeep Yadav. The Duleep Trophy semifinals will be played at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence from September 4, followed by the final on September 11.
This outing also marks Patidar’s return to competitive cricket after leading Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title in June. Though he scored 312 runs in 14 matches at an average of 24 and a strike rate of 143.77, it was his leadership that stood out, ending RCB’s title drought.
RCB coach Andy Flower praised Patidar, saying, “What’s most impressive is that captaincy pressure hasn’t affected him. His batting remains unaffected, and he’s still the humble, composed Rajat Patidar we knew last year.”