Bengaluru played host to an absorbing opening day of the Duleep Trophy, where East Zone recovered from a shaky start to finish strongly. Continuing his impressive form from the previous domestic season, Sudeep Gharami anchored the innings with a magnificent knock of 146 runs on the first day. By the time stumps were drawn, East Zone had posted a solid total of 355 for 6. Gharami found an ideal partner in Shahbaz Ahmed, and the duo stitched together an unbroken 150-run stand for the sixth wicket. This crucial partnership rescued East Zone from a precarious position of 138 for 5, with Shahbaz remaining unbeaten on 100 runs at the end of the day's play.
The morning session did not go entirely to plan for East Zone, as young opener Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was dismissed for just eight runs. He had started his innings positively with an attractive shot over midwicket followed by a crisp cover drive, but he fell attempting a cut shot off Manipur bowler Bishworjit Konthoujam, getting caught in the gully. Abhimanyu Easwaran also failed to make a significant impact, contributing only 15 runs before being trapped leg-before-wicket by medium-pacer Jotin Singh.
Following the early setbacks, Kumar Kushagra joined forces with Gharami to steady the ship, adding 92 runs for the third wicket. Kushagra batted aggressively, scoring 55 runs off 65 deliveries with the help of nine boundaries, displaying excellent rhythm. At the other end, Gharami rotated the strike well and gradually accelerated the scoring rate. However, Kushagra’s dismissal triggered a brief collapse, as wickets began to tumble quickly. Star batters Ishan Kishan and Virat Singh were dismissed cheaply and returned to the pavilion in quick succession, leaving the team under pressure.
It was then that Sudeep Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed took charge of the proceedings. Gharami, who finished as the fourth-highest run-scorer in domestic cricket last year with 795 runs, demonstrated his technical prowess once again. He deftly dispatched balls heading toward his legs to the boundary and smartly found gaps on the off-side. During this fluent knock, he successfully brought up his ninth first-class century.
Gharami consumed 185 deliveries for his 146 runs, slamming 25 fours and a single six. Meanwhile, Shahbaz played a composed yet assertive knock, facing 137 balls and hitting nine fours and two sixes. East Zone capitalized on the relative inexperience of the North Zone bowling attack as the day progressed. By the time Gharami departed, the team was firmly back on track. Shahbaz then teamed up with Anukul Roy to add another 67 runs, raising strong hopes of crossing the 450-run mark in the first innings.
