Tilak Varma produced a patient unbeaten century to rescue South Zone from early trouble and give his team a 90-run advantage at the end of day two of the Duleep Trophy semifinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on Monday.
Resuming at 40 for two, South slipped to 80 for five after India pacer Gurnoor Brar ripped through the batting order. Brar finished with four for 70, but Tilak and Shreyas Gopal ensured his early damage did not prove decisive.
The pair put together a crucial 175-run partnership for the sixth wicket, taking South from a vulnerable position into the lead. Shreyas contributed 87 from 169 deliveries, including 11 fours, while Tilak remained unbeaten on 106 from 225 balls.
South eventually reached 285 for nine at stumps after losing four wickets in a late collapse that saw the score tumble from 255 for five to 270 for nine.
Tilak’s innings was notably restrained for a batter known for his attacking approach. The 23-year-old needed 149 deliveries to complete his half-century without hitting a boundary. His first four arrived only from his 154th ball and also helped South move into the first-innings lead.
After Shreyas fell attempting to guide the ball towards third man, South suffered another wobble. Tilak then accelerated, completing his eighth First Class century in 219 balls with consecutive boundaries off Gurnoor.
Earlier, Gurnoor had given his side an ideal start. He bowled N. Jagadeesan with his fifth delivery before removing R. Smaran, the leading run-scorer in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, with a delivery that struck the top of off-stump. K. Himateja departed off the next ball.
On the adjacent ground, the semifinal between East Zone and Central Zone developed into a one-innings contest after both teams finished with identical first-innings totals of 266.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi led East’s aggressive response with 92 from just 81 deliveries, smashing seven fours and seven sixes. East raced to 183 runs in the opening session but collapsed from 200 for two to 266 all out.
Central then reached 45 for three by stumps, with captain Rajat Patidar among the batters dismissed, leaving the semifinal finely balanced heading into day three.
Brief scores:
North Zone 195 vs. South Zone 285 for nine in 94 overs (Tilak Varma 106 batting, Shreyas Gopal 87, Gurnoor Brar 4/70).
Central Zone 266 & 45/3 in 20 overs vs. East Zone 266 in 57 overs (Abhimanyu Easwaran 69, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 92, Harsh Dubey 4/66).
