Test opener Aakash Chopra scored a determined 43 as North Zone recovered from a mid-innings slump to overcome Central Zone by five wickets on the fourth and final day of the Duleep Trophy cricket match in Gurgaon on Tuesday.
Needing 115 runs for a victory, North were cruising at 51 for no loss before stuttering to 97 for five. But Ajay Ratra (12 not out) and Joginder Sharma (11 not out) scored the required runs as the team romped home in the 50th over.
Veteran leg-spinner Narendra Hirwani (3/31) and left-arm spinner Murali Kartik (2/21) shared the spoils.
Earlier, Chopra and Gautam Gambhir, resuming on two for no loss, made steady progress before Kartik clean bowled Gambhir (24). Six overs later, Hirwani castled star Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh (5) as the total read 63-2.
Hirwani took another wicket in his next over, beating the defence of skipper Dinesh Mongia (2), but Mithun Manhas and Chopra weathered the storm taking North to within striking distance before Hirwani consumed Manhas (9), again clean bowling, with the total on 82.
With top Indian spinners Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh nursing injuries Hirwani could be a contender for the spinner's berth for the Pakistan tour along with Railways' Kulamani Parida and Kartik, Sarandeep Singh of Delhi and Bengal's Sourashis Lahiri.
Even as wickets kept tumbling at one end, Chopra kept his end up and put his side firmly on course before Kartik deceived him with the total on 97 shortly after lunch.
Scoreboard
Central Zone (1st innings): 154
North Zone (1st innings): 249
Central Zone (2nd innings): 211
North Zone (2nd innings):
A Chopra c Saxena b Kartik 43
G Gambhir b Kartik 24
Y Singh b Hirwani 5
D Mongia b Hirwani 2
M Manhas b Hirwani 9
A Ratra not out 12
J Sharma not out 11
Extras: (b-3, lb-3, nb-6) 12
Total: (for five wickets, 49.5 overs) 118
Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-63, 3-66, 4-82, 5-97.
Bowling: J P Yadav 13-5-16-0, S Bangar 7-1-20-0, S Pandey 4-0-24-0, M Kartik 10-2-21-2, N Hirwani 15.5-4-31-3.
