South Zone clinch Deodhar Trophy with 47-run win

South Zone clinched the Deodhar Trophy by defeating North Zone by a 47-run margin at the Palam Grounds in Delhi, bowling their rivals out for 176 after posting 223 in their innings.

Batting first after winning the toss, South Zone looked in dire straits when Hemang Badani fell as the fourth wicket for 64 runs. But R Vijay Bharadwaj and Sridharan Sharath then put on 44 runs for the fifth wicket. After Bharadwaj's dismissal for 36 off 62 balls, Sharath and Y Venugopal Rao then added 56 runs, both scoring fifties in the process.

Sharath made 52, his second successive fifty in the tournament, while Venugopal Rao made 54 off 58 balls before being run out off the penultimate ball of the innings, his team's score on 223.

Chasing 234, North Zone never gave themselves a chance due to poor running. As many as four run-outs occurred in the chase, and Ajay Ratra's 51 off 70 balls was also not backed up by any good batting efforts.

North Zone were bowled out in just 45 overs, with Venkatesh Prasad and Vijay Bharadwaj taking two wickets each.