5 best batting performances in Duleep Trophy 2023

South Zone completed an incredible win over West Zone in the Duleep Trophy 2023 final on Sunday, July 16 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Chasing 298 runs to win, West Zone were bundled out for 222 and couldn't quite show the fight they promised on Day 4.

The pitches in the Duleep Trophy have been conducive for the bowlers and naturally, the encounters have been relatively low-scoring. However, there have still been some magnificent performances from some batters that have proved just how technically and mentally strong they were under pressure.

On that note, let's take a look at five of the best batting performances from the Duleep Trophy 2023:

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#5 Mayank Agarwal - 76 vs North Zone, 2nd semifinal

South Zone had managed to bowl North Zone out for just 198 and had a chance to take a solid first innings lead. However, they were in deep trouble at 35/4 as Baltej Singh and Harshit Rana troubled the batters.

But the experienced Mayank Agarwal was willing to battle it out in the middle as he held one end up and tried to make use of every scoring opportunity. He scored 76 crucial runs and ensured that the North Zone didn't get a massive first-innings lead.

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#4 Mayank Agarwal - 54 vs North Zone, 2nd semifinal

South Zone was set a tricky target of 215 on a lively pitch and that's probably why their chase was simply sensational. Middle-order batters like Hanuma Vihari, Ricky Bhui, and Tilak Varma made some valuable contributions in what was a team effort.

However, once again it was Mayank Agarwal who gave them that rollicking start at the top of the order. He scored 54 off just 57 balls and ensured that the new ball burst from North Zone didn't do much damage. His counter-attacking knock saw him hit seven boundaries and set up a fine chase to make it to the Duleep Trophy final.

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#3 Atit Sheth - 74 vs Central Zone, 1st semifinal

West Zone also had a batting collapse during their Duleep Trophy semifinal against Central Zone as they were 65/5 in the first innings at one stage. The middle-order in particular was disappointing as they just couldn't handle the seaming conditions.

But it was seam-bowling all-rounder Atit Sheth who stood tall and launched a fightback for West Zone. It was the partnership between him and Dharmendrasinh Jadeja that gave some sort of respect to their first innings total. The match ended in a draw and Sheth won the Player of the Match for his impressive knock of 74 and also four wickets.

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#2 Cheteshwar Pujara - 133 vs Central Zone, 1st semifinal

Cheteshwar Pujara has been dropped from the Indian team following a series of inconsistent scores. However, he once again showed why he has the ability to stand tall in a crisis situation and play marathon knocks for his team.

West Zone had a lead of 92 runs going into their second innings of the Duleep Trophy semifinal and Pujara played 278 balls for his 133 runs. He showed that even on such a seaming track, he had the ability to grind down the opposition's bowling attacks. His knock ensured that Central Zone had to bat to save the game and couldn't progress to the final.

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#1 Priyank Panchal - 95 vs South Zone, final

Arguably the best knock of Duleep Trophy 2023 was played by West Zone captain Priyank Panchal. West Zone had conceded a massive lead of 67 runs after their first innings and were set a mammoth target of 298 to win the game.

Although West Zone lost a couple of quick wickets, Panchal continued with his gritty knock from one end and ensured he kept the chase alive. The way he handled the seamers in the tough pitch was simply commendable and spoke volumes about why he is regarded as one of the best openers in the country.

Although his knock ended up on the losing side, given the game situation and the target given, Panchal's knock deserves the top spot on this list.