Sudip Gharami continued his excellent form from last domestic season, scoring a stylish 146 to help East Zone reach 355/6 against North East on the opening day of their Duleep Trophy match on Sunday.Gharami was well supported by Shahbaz Ahmed, who remained unbeaten on 100. The pair shared a crucial 150-run partnership for the sixth wicket after East Zone had slipped to 138/5.

Gharami leads East Zone’s recovery

East Zone had a shaky start, with young Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dismissed for eight and Abhimanyu Easwaran falling for 15. Kumar Kushagra then joined Gharami and the duo added 92 runs for the third wicket. Kushagra looked comfortable, scoring 55 off 65 balls with nine boundaries.His dismissal triggered another mini-collapse, with Ishan Kishan and Virat Singh also departing quickly. That brought Shahbaz to the crease, and he and Gharami steadied the innings.Gharami, who scored 795 runs last season and finished fourth among the leading run-scorers, attacked deliveries on his legs while also finding gaps on the off-side. His 185-ball innings featured 25 fours and a six, marking his ninth first-class century.

Shahbaz joins the century club

Shahbaz matched Gharami’s impact with an unbeaten century. He faced 137 balls and struck nine fours and two sixes as East Zone recovered strongly.The inexperienced North East bowling attack struggled to contain the experienced batters, allowing East Zone to move into a strong position. After Gharami eventually fell, Shahbaz continued his assault alongside Anukul Roy, with the pair adding another 67 runs.At stumps, East Zone had reached 355/6 from 80 overs, with Shahbaz unbeaten on 100. Jotin Singh was North East’s most successful bowler, finishing with 3/55.The strong recovery has put East Zone in a commanding position heading into the second day.