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West Zone vs Central Zone, Duleep Trophy, 1st Semi-Final: Key stats

The Alur venue has been providing lots of high-scoring matches in the recent past. Both teams should prioritise batting second if they win the toss, as a high-scoring affair is expected.

By Omar | Jul 5, 2023 | 2 Min Read

On Wednesday, July 5, the first semi-final of the Duleep Trophy 2023 will see West Zone lock horns with Central Zone. The highly anticipated match will take place at the KSCA Cricket Ground in Alur. Central Zone, captained by Shivam Mavi, enters the semi-final with a boost of confidence after their convincing 170-run victory over East Zone in the quarter-final. The standout performer, spinner Saurabh Kumar, claimed 11 wickets in the match, including an impressive eight-wicket haul that earned him the Player of the Match award.

Despite being bowled out for 182 in their first innings, Central Zone managed to gain a crucial 60-run lead. In the chase of 299 runs, East Zone struggled and succumbed to a total of 129 runs in just 29.4 overs, courtesy of Saurabh Kumar’s remarkable bowling display. Led by captain Priyank Panchal, West Zone possesses a formidable squad. Cheteshwar Pujara, who was left out of India’s squad for the West Indies tour, will be eager to prove himself on the field. Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw are also vital assets to the team, while Sarfaraz Khan aims to deliver an impressive performance following his exclusion from the West Indies Tests.

Pitch

The Alur venue has been providing lots of high-scoring matches in the recent past. Both teams should prioritise batting second if they win the toss, as a high-scoring affair is expected. The captain who wins the toss will look to chase the total down as there is a bit of dew expected in the latter half of the second innings.