Tilak Varma's twin unbeaten scores carry South Zone into the Duleep Trophy final

The South Zone captain followed a first-innings century with an unbeaten fifty in the chase to set up a final against East Zone in Chennai
South Zone are in the Duleep Trophy final, and their captain was unbeaten at both ends of the match. Tilak Varma made 116 not out in the first innings and 51 not out in the fourth as South Zone beat North Zone by seven wickets at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru.
North Zone chose to bat and were bowled out for 195 in 59.1 overs. South Zone replied with 312 in 100.3, a lead of 117, and North Zone's 297 in 72.4 overs second time round left a target of 181.
South Zone reached it for the loss of three wickets in 43.1 overs. The two batters at the crease at the end were the two who had come together when the position was still uncomfortable.

North Zone bat first and are held to 195
Qamran Iqbal was the one North Zone batter to settle, making 76 from 182 balls in an innings that occupied more than half the deliveries his side faced. Nobody stayed with him long enough to change the shape of the innings.
Vidwath Kaverappa took four for 66 for South Zone, and 195 in 59.1 overs proved well short of what the surface offered later in the match.

A century that took 250 balls
Tilak's hundred was not a quick one. He faced 250 balls for his 116 not out and hit nine fours, batting through the middle of an innings that lasted 100.3 overs.
He did not do it alone. Shreyas Gopal made 87, and the pair put on 175 for the sixth wicket to lift South Zone from a position of some difficulty to a lead of 117. Gurnoor Brar was the most successful North Zone bowler with four for 88.

Nidheesh ends the third innings with a five-for
North Zone batted for most of two days to make a game of it and reached 297, which for a while looked as though it might set an awkward target.
It was ended by MD Nidheesh, who took five for 56 and finished the innings by claiming the last three wickets. It was the tenth five-wicket haul of his first-class career, and it held the target to 181.

102 for 3, and then nothing more
South Zone did not have it all their own way. Ricky Bhui made 42 and Narayan Jagadeesan 43 before he was stumped, but three wickets went down for 102 and the chase was still open when Tilak walked out.
He and Ravichandran Smaran then put on an unbroken 80 for the fourth wicket. Tilak finished 51 not out from 79 balls and Smaran 32 not out, with Abid Mushtaq taking two for 55 in a spell that never quite threatened to reopen the match.

Chennai, and a final more than half a century in the making
The final is against Ishan Kishan's East Zone, who beat Central Zone by four wickets in the other semi-final. It has been moved from the Centre of Excellence to the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai so that spectators can attend, and runs from September 6 to 10.
It will be the first time the two zones have met in a Duleep Trophy final since 1970-71. East Zone arrive with a fast bowler in form, Mohammed Shami having taken five wickets across their semi-final and struck the runs that won it.
Tilak goes into the match having been named vice-captain of India's Twenty20 international squad for the Afghanistan series, which was announced while this semi-final was still being played.
He finished the week with 167 runs for once out and a place in the final for the side he captains.

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