Shahbaz, Sarkar put East Zone in command against North East Zone on Day 2 of Duleep Trophy QF

Shahbaz, Sarkar put East Zone in command against North East Zone on Day 2 of the Duleep Trophy QF

Ishan Kishan-led East Zone took firm control of their Duleep Trophy quarterfinal against North East Zone after an impressive all-round performance from Shahbaz Ahmed and a five-wicket haul from Abhijit Sarkar on Day 2 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru on Monday. After resuming at 355/6, East Zone went on to post a mammoth 467 all out, with Shahbaz converting his overnight century into 167 off 244 balls, including 17 fours and four sixes.

Shahbaz added 103 runs with Anukul Roy (37) for the seventh wicket to help East Zone cross the 450-run mark. Jotin Pheiroijam and Akash Choudhary picked up three wickets each for North East Zone. In reply, North East Zone initially offered some resistance, reaching 72/2, with Arpit Bhatewara scoring 32 and captain Rongsen Jonathan making 21. However, their innings soon collapsed as they lost their last eight wickets for just 39 runs to be bowled out for 111 in 42.5 overs.

Sarkar was the chief destroyer, claiming 5/20 in 9.5 overs, while Shahbaz completed an excellent all-round effort with 3/20. East Zone enforced the follow-on, and North East Zone reached 7/0 in one over before stumps. They now trail by 349 runs and face an uphill task heading into Day 3, with East Zone needing 10 wickets over the remaining two days to secure an innings victory.

Earlier on Day 1, East Zone made a shaky start after being asked to bat, slipping to 138/5 following early dismissals, including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (8) and Abhimanyu Easwaran (15). Kumar Kushagra steadied the innings with a brisk 55, but his dismissal led to another mini-collapse. Sudip Kumar Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed then rescued East Zone with a crucial 150-run partnership. Gharami scored a fluent 146, while Shahbaz remained unbeaten on 100 as East Zone finished the day strongly at 355/6. (ANI)