East scored a healthy 467 in their first innings before bowling out North East for a meagre 111. Tripura medium pacer Abhijit Sarkar took 5 for 20 in 9.5 overs, while Shahbaz finished with figures of 3 for 20.

After being asked to follow on, North East reached 7 for no loss, but still needed another 349 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Shahbaz makes most of the opportunity

Shahbaz, who resumed at his overnight score of 100, used the long handle to good effect to score 167 off 244 balls. His innings included 17 fours and four towering sixes.

He added 103 runs with Anukul Roy, who scored 37, for the seventh wicket and remained the last man to be dismissed.

North East collapse after promising start

North East initially looked impressive, reaching 72 for 2 before a dramatic collapse saw them lose eight wickets for just 39 runs.

Abhijit, the right-arm slow-medium bowler who clocks an average speed in the early 120s, prompted wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan to stand up to the stumps. He largely bowled incoming deliveries because of his open-chested action.

East eye victory inside three days

The wickets fell at regular intervals, with only opener Arpit Bhatewara, who scored 32, and Rongsen Jonathan, who made 21, managing to cross the 20-run mark.

Six North East batters failed to reach double figures, while three of them did not even open their accounts.

It was another one-sided contest that highlighted the gulf in quality between the two teams. In all likelihood, East will wrap up the proceedings well inside the third day unless weather plays spoilsport.