On this day in 2010, the hard-hitting Yusuf Pathan scripted history with his record-breaking batting performance. He was playing for West Zone in the 2010 Duleep Trophy final when he led his team to the biggest successful run chase in the history of first-class cricket. Pathan smashed a double century which made this herculean effort possible.
South Zone’s dominance
After winning the toss, South Zone elected to put runs on the board. The first innings was all about the sheer domination by the formidable batting unit of South Zone. The skipper Dinesh Karthik led his team from the front and scored 183 runs which propelled South Zone to a huge total of 400 runs in the first innings.
In reply, West Zone were not impressive as none of the batters capitalized on the start that they got. The saving grace for them was Yusuf Pathan’s 108 runs off just 76 balls which closed the gap and reduced the lead that West Zone conceded at the end of the first innings.
Pathan goes big
South Zone extended their lead in the second innings with another effective display. It was once again Dinesh Karthik who stepped up for his team as he accumulated 150 runs to help South Zone post a challenging target for the opposition. South Zone declared the second innings with 386 runs in their account and ultimately posed a target of 536 runs for West Zone.
Considering the pathetic batting display in the first innings the target appeared to be beyond the reach of the chasing side but Yusuf Pathan had different intentions. The opening duo started well and this momentum was carried on by the middle order. Yusuf Pathan was the key figure in the middle order and he lived up to the expectations. He opened the floodgates which drowned the opposition bowling unit. Pathan played an unbeaten knock of 210 runs which made the run chase a cakewalk for West Zone.