In a series of big events, the 2026-27 Duleep Trophy got underway on August 23, with East Zone enjoying a strong opening day in their quarterfinal game by reaching 355/6 at Stumps. While big names like Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Ishan Kishan failed to make an impact, scoring eight and four respectively. In a tough situation, Sudip Kumar rose to the occasion and recorded a magnificent century.
Kumar struck 146 off 185 balls, hitting 25 fours and a six. Shahbaz Ahmad gave valuable support, reaching the three figure mark with a 100-run knock from 137 balls that featured nine boundaries and two sixes. Their efforts helped East Zone overcome the early setbacks and finish Day 1 with a strong total.
East Zone's horrible start
East Zone suffered a horrible start after Abhimanyu Easwaran and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi opened the innings at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Easwaran got out at 15, while Sooryavanshi managed to score eight runs. Kumar Kushagra offered some fightback at No.3, scoring a calm 55 off 65 balls with two fours. Sudip then took control from the opposite end, but wickets continued to tumble around him as Virat Singh and Ishan Kishan got out on cheap scores of two and four respectively. The quick wickets left East Zone in serious trouble at 138/5 before their recovery.
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Shahbaz Ahmed and Sudip Kumar's fightback
With East Zone struggling at 138/5, Shahbaz Ahmed and Sudip completely changed the course of the innings with a key sixth-wicket partnership. The duo added 150 runs to pull their side out of danger and put the North East Zone bowlers under pressure. Sudip eventually got out after scoring 146 off 185 balls, hitting 25 fours and a six.
On the other hand, Shahbaz stayed not-out on 100 from 137 balls, having struck nine fours and two sixes. Their centuries powered East Zone to an imposing 355/6 by stumps on the first day, putting them in a strong position to build an even bigger first-innings total.