South Zone defeated West Zone by 75 runs in the final to win the Duleep Trophy in Bengaluru on Sunday.
It was a low-scoring affair at the Chinnaswamy stadium as South Zone, who were coached by Goa’s former Ranji trophy vice-captain turned-coach Hemant Angle, held their nerve on the final day to end their trophy drought of 13 years.
Angle hailed ‘team work’ as the essence of South Zone’s success. “The balance of the team was such that we had only to perform. With 4 quality fast bowlers, 2 quality spinners and an experienced batting line-up, the team had the right combination. I chipped in by giving my inputs in strategies and lifting the morale of the team,” he told www.thegoancricketer.com.
Goan cricket fraternity rejoiced in the success of South Zone as the squad comprised five members from the Goa Cricket Association, whose secretary Rohan Gauns Dessai is the Convenor of the South Zone Associations for 2023-24 season.
Dessai expressed his delight on his Facebook page.
Apart from Angle, the other Goans in the South Zone squad were Goa Ranji Trophy captain Darshan Misal, Suyash Prabhudesai, masseur Joshua Talwar and manager Utkarsh Shirodkar.
Duleep Trophy final (brief scores): South Zone 213 (Vihari 63, Mulani 3-29) and 230 (Vihari 42, Jadeja 5-40) beat West Zone 146 (Shaw 65, Kaverappa 7-53) and 222 (Panchal 95, Koushik 4-36, Sai Kishore 4-57).
