Duleep Trophy 2014-15: Naman Ojha smashes double ton as Central Zone pile huge score against North Zone

Ojha double puts Central Zone in command

Mohali: Oct 23, 2014

Wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha continued from where he left on the opening day to notch up his second double ton in First-Class cricket this year to help Central Zone amass 538 on Day Two of the four-day Duleep Trophy semi-final match against North Zone, in Mohali on Thursday In reply, North ended Thursday on 130 for two with skipper Gautam Gambhir on 68 and Yuvraj Singh on 25 battling it out. But the day belonged to Ojha, who started on his overnight score of 122 to smash 217 runs, his second-highest First-Class score after his unbeaten 219 against Australia A in July.

Madhya Pradesh batsman Ojha, who has played a One-Day International (ODI) for India, struck 23 boundaries and three sixes in his seven-hour and eight minutes stay at the crease to give the North bowlers a hard time. In his last four First-Class innings, Ojha, aged 31, has accumulated an astounding 647 runs, improving his over-all average to around 43.

Starting on the overnight score of 344 for three, Central Zone, who had elected to bat, carried on where they left with Ojha and Ashok Menaria (62) taking the momentum forward. If his third-wicket partnership with Jalaj Saxena (110) was the highlight of the opening day then Ojha’s fourth-wicket stand with Menaria dominated proceedings on the second day.

Central’s lower-order also contributed with skipper Piyush Chawla (34), leg-spinner Karn Sharma (27) and debutant chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav (21) coming up with useful contributions. Medium-pacer Rishi Dhawan (three for 123) and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal (three for 150) were the pick of the North bowlers while pace spearhead Samiullah Beigh (two for 100) and off-spinner Parvez Rasool (two for 89) picked up 2 wickets each.