India, Sept. 11 -- Performing in the final is always extra special. It is proof you can handle the pressure of important games. It's the reason, Central Zone's left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya Singh was over the moon on Thursday, having picked a four-wicket haul on the first day of their Duleep Trophy final against South Zone being played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru.

Central Zone captain Rajat Patidar's decision to bowl first on winning the toss looked surprising but Kartikeya (4/53) combined with off-spinner Saransh Jain (5/49) to bundle out South Zone for a mere 149 runs to justify their skipper's call.

In reply, Central were off to a good start, reaching 50/0 at the draw of stumps.

Having only got a chance to play in...