Minnows Odisha hit back in the final session to pick three Delhi wickets after the home team bowlers dismissed them for a paltry 143 in the second round Ranji Trophy encounter at the Feroz Shah Kotla ground.
Central Zone skipper Mohammad Kaif on Saturday conceded that pacer Ashok Dinda will be the "biggest threat" for his team going into the Duleep trophy final against East Zone.
Defending champions East Zone will seek to do an encore when they meet an upbeat Central Zone in Duleep Trophy cricket tournament final which is a virtual replay of last edition played in Indore.
Bengal speedster Ashok Dinda's hostile spell of fast bowling helped defending champions East Zone reach the final of the Duleep Trophy for the second successive time after beating South by virtue of 23-run first innings lead.
Jharkhand batsman Saurabh Tiwary and Orissa all-rounder Basant Mohanty scripted an impressive recovery with an undefeated century-plus stand as East Zone reached 187 for six at stumps on Day I, of their Duleep Trophy semi-final against South Zone.
Opener Shivakant Shukla missed three-figure mark by only four runs but his painfully slow batting alongside skipper Sanjay Bangar saw Railways crawl to 204 for five against Orissa, on the first day in a Ranji Trophy Elite Group match at Karnail Singh Stadium.
Brimming with confidence after their innings and 94-run win over Uttar Pradesh in the last match, an upbeat Railways will look to register another outright win over wooden spooners Orissa in their penultimate Elite Group A match of the Ranji Trophy starting Tuesday.
Orissa produced a disciplined bowling effort to restrict Karnataka to 169 for six on the third day as their Ranji Trophy Elite Division match headed for an exciting finish.
India pace spearhead Zaheer Khan grabbed three wickets in his first competitive match after an injury lay-off even as Mumbai were on the verge of an outright win over Orissa on the third and penultimate day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Division match on Thursday.