Deodhar Trophy 2023: Riyan Parag's century helps East Zone defeat West Zone; secures final berth

• Image Credit: Prag News

• Aug 1, 2023 | Poonam Nath

East Zone advanced to the final versus South Zone after Riyan Parag's century and Manisankar Murasingh's 5-wicket haul...

Digital Desk: East Zone dominated West Zone in a must-win match to advance to the Deodhar Trophy 2023 final. On Tuesday, August 1, the East Zone defeated the West by 157 runs in their final round-robin group-stage game in Puducherry.

East Zone and West Zone each entered Tuesday's game with a chance to advance to the finals of the domestic 50-over event. Both sides were under pressure after scoring 12 points in their previous four games.

East Zone, on the other hand, crushed West with Riyan Parag's second consecutive century and a 5-wicket haul from Manisankar Murasingh to advance to the final.

Riyan Parag was unquestionably the outstanding player of the game as he maintained his strong performance in the Deodhar Trophy and displayed his explosive batting abilities. His unbroken score of 102 runs off just 68 balls, which included six boundaries and five sixes, contributed to the West Zone's tough 319-run total.

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Although their top three players, Abhimanyu Easwaran (38), Utkarsh Singh (50), and Virat Singh (42), got off to a solid start, East Zone only managed to score 157 for 5.

But Parag, who entered at No. 6, scored 102 runs off just 68 balls with the help of wicketkeeper Kushgara, who added a 47-ball 53.

Manisankar Murasingh, another rising star in Indian cricket, matched Parag's performance. He took five key wickets while allowing only 28 runs in seven overs. His remarkable economy rate of 4.00 and ability to break partnerships were key in limiting the West Zone to a total of 162 runs.

Notably, the East Zone will face the South Zone in the final on August 3.