West Zone were reduced to 799/4 at one stage when Panchal stitched a 98-run partnership off 157 balls with Sarfaraz Khan who scored 48 runs off 76 balls. The defending champions still need 116 more runs to retain their title on Sunday.
Image Courtesy- BCCI Domestic
In the first session on Saturday saw South Zone getting bundled out for 230 as Saurashtra left-arm spinner Dharmendra Jadeja grabbed five wickets for 40 runs in 22.1 overs.
However, the 67-run lead in the first innings came to play a crucial role for South Zone as a daunting 298-run target was set for South Zone in the fourth innings of a difficult bowling surface in Bengaluru.
To make things worse for West Zone, Vasuki Koushik ran through their top order. The pacer clean bowled Prithvi Shaw for 7, trapped Suryakumar Yadav (4 off 3) in front of the stumps and also got the prized wicket of Cheteshwar Pujara (15 off 47). Harvik Desai was dismissed for 4 off 19 by Vijaykumar Vyshak.
It was then that Priyank Panchal and Sarfaraz Khan took things in their control. The latter got out just three balls before bad light stopped the play for the day.
Panchal, who brought up his 8000 runs during the course of his gutsy innings, has been one of the prominent domestic batters over the last few seasons, and it was not very difficult to see why. He brought forward his years of experience to thwart the South bowlers for 315 minutes.
The Gujarat batter, who hogged the headlines after his 1310-run season in 2016-17, showed unflappable temperament despite wickets falling at the other end regularly.
Panchal and Cheteshwar Pujara (15) showed the first glimpse of West fighting through a 57-run alliance for the third wicket off 125 balls.
They seemed unruffled for most part but pacer Vasuki Koushik ended the burgeoning stand dismissing Pujara. The veteran batter’s thick outside edge went to Tilak Varma at forward short leg.
Suryakumar Yadav continued his disappointing show in this Duleep Trophy, falling for another low score.
The Mumbaikar offered no shot to Koushik as the ball came and thudded onto his pads and umpire Akshay Totre did not have to think long to raise his finger.
At 79 for 4, West seemed to be hurtling down the road to perdition and they needed some solidity.
Panchal and Sarfaraz (48) provided precisely that. They batted together for 126 minutes and for 157 balls as West began to dream about a win that looked improbable at one stage.
Sarfaraz was extremely fortunate too. While on zero, he set out for a non-existent single and was sent back by Panchal. But Sachin Baby’s throw was way over the head of wicketkeeper Ricky Bhui, saving Sarfaraz.
Vysakh Vijayakumar resorted to the short-pitched ball strategy that he employed with good results in the first innings.
But this time, both Panchal and Sarfaraz were better prepared to blunt him, even though the latter copped a blow to his helmet.
Just as it seemed that the pair would take West to the close safely, Sarfaraz fell to R Sai Kishore. The left-arm spinner pushed the ball through the air a bit quicker and Sarfaraz played all over it to get bowled.
South might be hugely relieved to see Sarfaraz walk back but they still have to complete a big job.
(With input from PTI)
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