East Zone moved closer to securing the Duleep Trophy title after a dominant third day in Chennai. Having established a massive first-innings total of 708, the East Zone bowlers maintained pressure on a surface that remained largely favorable for batting, despite occasional low bounce. By the close of play, South Zone reached 242/6, still trailing by 466 runs, with Tilak Varma providing a glimmer of hope through his unbeaten half-century.
The morning session began with promise for South Zone as N Jagadeesan found early boundaries against Mukesh Kumar. However, Ricky Bhui’s dismissal proved costly; he was initially given not out after edging a delivery from Mukesh down the leg side, but a successful East Zone review overturned the decision. Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal later combined for a 50-run partnership, but Jagadeesan eventually fell after playing a loose shot, stalling the momentum.
Padikkal continued to anchor the innings, reaching his fifty, while Shaik Rasheed looked comfortable at the crease. The partnership was broken after the lunch break when Mohammed Shami trapped Rasheed leg-before-wicket with a delivery that nipped back. Shortly after, Padikkal’s frustration boiled over when he attempted a pick-up shot despite fielders being positioned on the boundary, resulting in a catch at deep square leg that ended his 62-run knock.
A brief recovery period saw Tilak Varma and Smaran Ravichandran hold the crease for over 100 deliveries. The breakthrough came just before the Tea break when Shami returned to the attack. A sharp review by stand-in captain Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, prompted by the keeper, revealed a faint edge from Ravichandran, ending the budding stand. Despite the pressure, Tilak remained composed, eventually bringing up his 123-ball fifty with a boundary off part-timer Ishan Kishan.
In the final session, Tilak and Shreyas Gopal focused on occupying the crease and rotating the strike against the spinners. The pair looked set to navigate through to stumps until Gopal hit a delivery straight back to the bowler, marking the sixth wicket to fall. At the close of play, South Zone finished on 242/6, with Mohammed Shami leading the bowling effort with figures of 2-11. The report also notes that having already dominated proceedings on the first two days by posting 708, East Zone picked up five wickets on a surface that still looked good for batting with just the odd ball staying low. The report also notes that by Stumps on Day 3 in Chennai, South Zone were 242/6, still trailing by 466 runs, with Tilak Varma showing plenty of grit with an unbeaten half-century. The report also notes that at the other end, Jagadeesan appeared to be in good touch as well as the two batters ended up adding over 50 runs for the second wicket. The report also notes that padikkal didn’t take long to get going though. The report also notes that rich in form, the left-hander whipped one through midwicket for his first boundary of the innings and looked in control. The report also notes that much to Padikkal’s frustration as he threw away a great opportunity to pile on the runs and help himself to another big score, the man at deep square leg completed the catch. The report also notes that another small partnership was then brewing between Tilak Varma and Smaran Ravichandran to steady a sinking ship.
