Bengal’s middle-order mainstay Sudip Gharami continued his dream run of form from the last domestic season with a stylish 146 that propelled East Zone to 355 for six against North East on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy here Sunday. Gharami was ably complemented by out-of-favour India player Shahbaz Ahmed, who was unbeaten on 100, as they added 150 runs for the sixth wicket to help East recover well from 138 for 5. The day started with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (8) showing why he is very much a work in progress as far as his red ball game is concerned.
Gharami Scores Ninth First-Class Century
Gharami has achieved his ninth first-class century, showcasing his skill in finding gaps in the field. He previously ranked fourth among run-scorers last year, accumulating 795 runs. His batting style includes a strong ability to dispatch deliveries on the leg side.
Pacer Tushar Deshpande and off-spinner Tanish Kotian headlined a fine bowling performance with four wickets apiece as West Zone bowled out North for a lowly 251 on the opening day of their Duleep Trophy match at the Centre of Excellence. In 2024-25, Kotian was summoned to Australia as a replacement of Ravichandran Ashwin, who had announced his retirement during the series. Kotian with his all-round performance was in India contention and also went with India A to England in 2025 While he didn’t get to play a game. For North Zone, the baffling decision to drop opener Sanat Sangwan, who had scored 800 plus runs in Ranji Trophy, came back to haunt them.
