Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar stole the show on the second day of the Duleep Trophy 2025 final versus South Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain demonstrated his typical flair by hitting a flowing century that swung the match heavily in Central Zone’s favour.
Rajat Patidar has been in dominating form throughout this season’s event.
After scoring a century in the quarter-final, he delivered another imposing performance. His century came from just 112 deliveries, which included 12 boundaries and two sixes. It was his 15th first-class century, a combination of controlled aggressiveness and precision shot-making that put the South Zone bowlers under persistent pressure.
The Central Zone innings had started smoothly with a half-century stand between Danish Malewar and Akshay Wadkar. Malewar exited after a well-made 53, allowing Patidar to team up with Yash Rathod. The pair formed an excellent partnership for the fourth wicket, scoring 167 runs from 201 balls. Rathod served as the anchor, while Patidar led with offensive strokes.
That moment when Rajat Patidar brought up his 💯, off just 112 balls 🙌
The Central Zone captain led from the front and hit a splendid 101(115) 🧢🔥
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/unz0hJ66yE#DuleepTrophy | #Final | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/fwnB0RySSq
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 12, 2025
Patidar eventually dismissed by Gurjapneet Singh for 101 off 115, but by then he had already set the tone for the Central Zone. Rathod continued strongly and reached his own century (116 off 150), further solidifying his team’s grip on the final as the Central Zone’s total surged well past 300, with the lead nearing 200.
Patidar’s form in this Duleep Trophy has been nothing short of exceptional. With 369 runs in just four innings, he currently stands as the tournament’s highest run-scorer. His consistency has definitely reignited discussions about his inclusion in the Indian Test squad.
Patidar made his debut against England in 2024 and he managed 63 runs across three Tests and a single ODI appearance of 22 runs. Since then, he has been out of the national setup. However, his commanding performances in domestic cricket are making a strong case for his return.
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