Wet conditions curtail play on fourth day at Bangalore

Rain and damp conditions reduced the fourth day of the Duleep Trophy match between South Zone and East Zone to mere batting practice, with South Zone picking five points from the drawn encounter at Bangalore.

Some showers on Thursday combined with the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI's) new rule to experiment with uncovered pitches. The turf, as a result, was not fit for play on the fourth morning, and play only resumed after lunch.

East Zone night-watchman Sourashish Lahiri fell early, nicking MR Shrinivas into MSK Prasad's gloves to depart for 11. But Rashmi Ranjan Parida and Sanjay Raul took the opportunity to get some runs under their belt, the pair putting on 93 runs for the third wicket.

Parida was the more adventurous of the two, essaying a number of cuts and drives in his knock of 66. His innings ended when he top-edged a pull off Dodda Ganesh to be caught by Sridharam Sriram.

Raul opened up slightly after Parida's departure, and he declared his team's innings closed after he completed his half-century. He was accompanied by Subhomoy Das on six, and East ended the match on 141 for three. Only 36 overs of play were possible on the fourth day.