da supremo： Sridharan Sriram’s valiant unbeaten 136 went in vain as Central Zone, set to chase a paltry target of 49, sauntered to an emphatic eight-wicket victory in the Duleep Trophy clash at Surat
Cricinfo staff30-Oct-2005
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Sridharan Sriram cracked a fighting hundred but South Zone crumbled at Surat © Getty Images
Sridharan Sriram’s valiant unbeaten 136 went in vain as Central Zone, set to chase a paltry target of 49, sauntered to an emphatic eight-wicket victory in the Duleep Trophy clash at Surat. Kulamani Parida, the Railways offspinner, and Piyush Chawla, the legspinner from Uttar Pradesh who had an impressive first-class debut, snapped up three wickets apiece as South were bundled out for 261 on the fourth day.Only Lakshmipathy Balaji (32) offered Sriram some support as the rest of line-up crumbled against the spinners. Amit Pagnis, the Railways opener who had set things up with a fine 142 in the first innings, then charged to the target with a breezy 31 off 17 balls.This was the second consecutive loss for South, after a heavy defeat against West earlier, and they will have no further part to play in the tournament. Meanwhile Central will face West in a virtual semi-final at Aurangabad, starting on November 4.