Who is Yash Rathod? Ranji's leading run-getter who smashed 194 in Duleep final

Hailing from Nagpur, Vidarbha's left-handed Yash Rathod has been the buzz in the Indian domestic circuit since quite some time now. Rathod made his First-Class debut in early 2023 and has only gone from strength to strength since then. He has played a total of 20 red-ball and 24 List A encounters thus far, and averages 50.66 and 47.72, respectively.

There are a couple of days left before the Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and Central Zone comes to a close. There is a high probability that the ongoing game in Bengaluru may have been already decided by Rathod's elegant 194-run knock. Although he was unlucky to miss out on a well-deserved double-ton, Rathod's tally meant a hefty first innings lead for Central Zone.

There were some classical strokes which were played by the southpaw at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground. He was also involved in 167 and 176-run stands for the fourth and six wickets with skipper Rajat Patidar and all-rounder Saransh Jain, respectively. Rathod's sumptuous innings comprised 17 fours and two sixes. It took a peach of a delivery from Gurjapneet Singh to get rid of him.

Rathod had a breakthrough season with the bat for Vidarbha in their title-winning campaign in the 2024-25 instalment of the Ranji Trophy. He emerged as the leading run-getter of the premier red-ball competition with a colossal 960 runs in 18 innings, with three fifties and five tons to his name. His dynamic ability to bat at any position also made him the team's favourite crisis man in what was a dream season for Vidarbha.

Central Zone played the quarter and semi-final of the ongoing Duleep Trophy before getting to the final. Rathod registered scores of 87* and 78 in Central's fixture against North East Zone. He had an off outing in the semi-final, getting out for 2 off 8 in the only innings in which Central batted. It is yet to be seen the impact he will make in this clash and for his state and potentially India in the times to come.