In the match of Duleep Trophy 2025, Central Zone spinner Kumar Kartikeya delivered a breathtaking ball to get rid of South Zone captain Mohammed Azharuddeen. Kartikeya's ball turned sharply from middle and leg stump and crashed into the top of off stump leaving Azharuddeen amazed and setting the tone for Central Zone's dominance at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Choosing to bat first after winning the toss, Central Zone prospered early on with Kartikeya's left-arm spin and aggressive turn. He took four key wickets – Mohd. Azharuddeen, opener Mohit Kale, Smaran Ravichandran and Gurjapneet Singh tearing through South Zone's top order and middle order. Watch here: I.C.Y.M.IAn absolute Beauty 😮Kumar Kartikeya produced a cracker to dismiss South Zone captain Mohd. Azharuddeen 👌Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/unz0hJ5yJ6#DuleepTrophy | #Final | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/vYFUUUeX4q — BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) September 11, 2025 Nothing but pressure poured down as Sransh Jain, the other left-arm spinner from Central Zone, got in on the act. Weekly breakthroughs were registered when he dismissed Ricky Bhui, Salman Nizar, Ankit Sharma, Andre Siddarth and Nidheesh further deepening South Zone's trouble and putting Central Zone in a dominating position. Also Read | 'Abhi Aadhar bhi bheju kya?' - Tendulkar’s Witty Reply in Reddit AMA South Zone, under the leadership of Azharuddeen, had demonstrated grit in their semifinal by defeating North Zone with a dominating first-innings advantage of 175 runs – sufficient to find a place in the final even though the match was drawn. Central Zone also made their path to the final through a first-innings advantage over West Zone, providing them with momentum and belief to unleash their bowling attack. Central Zone's choice to bat first has already reaped rewards. Their fast-spinning attack, spearheaded by Kartikeya and ably assisted by Jain, set the stage for a collapse that South Zone was unable to defy. The ball spun viciously on Bengaluru's surface, and these bowlers were adept at using the conditions. Azharuddeen's fall was a metaphor for Central Zone's astute game planning.