By Staff Reporter

East Zone stamped their authority on the Duleep Trophy quarter-final against North East Zone on Day 2, riding on Shahbaz Ahmed's career-best 167 to post an imposing 467 in the first innings before bowling out their opponents for a paltry 111 and enforcing the follow-on.

Ahmed, resuming on his overnight score, added a further 112 runs to his tally in a masterclass of innings building. His marathon effort anchored the East Zone innings and ensured they posted a total that always looked well beyond North East Zone's reach. The left-hander struck with power and precision, finding the boundary at will and rotating the strike with equal ease to accumulate what stands as the highest score of his career.

East Zone Pile on the Runs

Ahmed was not alone in his domination. Sudip Kumar Gharani contributed a crucial 146, and the duo's partnership laid the foundation for East Zone's mammoth total. Pheiroijam Jotin (3-64) and Akash Choudhary (3-102) were the pick of the North East Zone bowlers, but they were ultimately left toiling on a surface that offered little respite.

Armed with a 356-run lead, East Zone's bowlers went to work with purpose. Abhijit Sarkar was the standout, claiming a brilliant five-wicket haul (5-20) that dismantled the North East Zone batting order. Ahmed also turned his arm over to telling effect, picking up 3-20 with his left-arm spin, underlining his value as an all-round asset.

North East Zone Collapse Twice

The North East Zone reply began tentatively, and they ambled to 21/0 before losing their first wicket. A brief flicker of resistance came through Arpit Bhatewara, who top-scored with 32, and Ashish Thapa, as the pair pushed the total to 55/1. But once Thapa fell, the floodgates opened.

Kishan Lyngdoh was cleaned up by Shahbaz Ahmed, and what followed was a dramatic collapse — North East Zone plummeted from 72/2 to 106/6 in a stunning passage of play. The lower order offered no resistance, and a second, even more spectacular collapse saw four wickets tumble with the score on 111, hastening the follow-on.

Only opener Arpit Bhatewara managed to cross the 30-run mark, while Rongsen Jonathan contributed a battling 21. For those hoping to catch a glimpse of the highly rated Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the follow-on was enforced with the innings wrapping up well before the prodigy could make a meaningful impact.

Mukesh Kumar was typically difficult to get away, delivering two maidens in his first three overs. Mohammed Shami, also part of the East Zone attack, bowled a tight spell of 0-6 as the veteran pacer looked to build rhythm.

Follow-On Begins

Batting again, North East Zone closed the day on 7/0, still trailing by a colossal 349 runs. Joseph Lalthankhuma was on 6, while Bhatewara was yet to get off the mark. The mountain ahead is enormous, and East Zone will scent the opportunity to wrap up an innings victory on Day 3.

Brief Scores

East Zone 467 (Shahbaz Ahmed 167, Sudip Kumar Gharani 146; Pheiroijam Jotin 3-64, Akash Choudhary 3-102) lead North East Zone 111 (Arpit Bhatewara 32, Rongsen Jonathan 21; Abhijit Sarkar 5-20, Shahbaz Ahmed 3-20) & 7/0 following-on (Joseph Lalthankhuma 6, Arpit Bhatewara 0; Mohammed Shami 0-6) by 349 runs.