East Zone take firm control of their Duleep Trophy quarter-final against North East Zone on Day 2 in Bengaluru. Reports say the match at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 is decisively tilted in East Zone’s favor, with a major impact from Shahbaz Ahmed and additional contributions from other bowlers.
Shahbaz Ahmed is described as the central figure in East Zone’s response. After East Zone lose six wickets, he rebuilds and scores 167 off 244 balls, including 17 fours and four sixes, which is reported as the highest individual score in the match and helps East Zone post a large first-innings total. He also takes wickets, with one outlet citing bowling figures of 3/20 in North East Zone’s first innings and 1/53 in the second.
NDTV also highlights Abhijit Sarkar’s five-wicket haul on Day 2, complementing Shahbaz’s batting to keep North East Zone under pressure. While outlets emphasize different performers—Shahbaz’s innings in one report and Sarkar’s haul in another—both describe East Zone as dominating proceedings and moving closer to a semi-final spot.
