In the ongoing Duleep Trophy match at Chepauk skipper Abhinav Mukund and Baba Aparajith set up the innings for South Zone with centuries, while Manish Pandey and CM Gautam helped the team to a commanding 258-run lead in the first innings. When play ended on Day 3, South Zone were 467 for the loss of nine wickets with Malolan Rangarajan and Sandeep Warrier at the crease.

Earlier, resuming on the overnight score of 137 for the loss of two wickets, Mukund and Aparajith took the team to 263, before Imtiaz Ahmed struck to end the partnership. The pacer gave Central Zone their first breakthrough of the day with the wicket of Aparajith, sending back the youngster for 109. And then without any addition to the total, Mukund (111) walked back in the next after offering a return catch to Shrikant Wagh.

With a 147-run partnership for the fifth wicket, Manish Pandey and CM Gautam took the team beyond the 400-run mark. Piyush Chawla halted the flourishing fifth-wicket stand by sending back Gautam for 69, and then he trapped Rohan Prem leg-before off the next ball. And a few overs later, Jalaj Saxena removed Pandey for 81, to leave SZ on 427 for seven. While Chawla, the CZ skipper, dismissed Abhimanyu Mithun, Saxena accounted for Pragyan Ojha later.

Brief scores:

At the end of Day 3:South Zone 1st innings467/9 in 161 overs (A Mukund 111, B Aparajith 109, M Pandey 81, CM Gautam 69)

At the end of Day 2: Central Zone 1st innings 209 all-out in 85.4 (P Chawla 56, P Ojha 3/49, B Aparajith 2/13); South Zone 1st innings137/2 in 63 overs (A Mukund 61*, B Aparajith 35*)

At the end of Day 1: Central Zone 1st innings123/5 in 50.2 overs (M Dagar 45, A Mithun 3/24)