Sudip Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed came to East Zone’s rescue after a poor start on the opening day of their Duleep Trophy quarter-final against North East, while North Zone’s decision to leave out Ranji Trophy’s third-highest run-scorer Sanat Sangwan put coaches Ajay Sharma and Sarandeep Singh under the scanner.
Gharami continued his excellent run of form from the last domestic season, smashing a stylish 146, while Shahbaz remained unbeaten on 100 as the duo added 150 runs for the sixth wicket. Their partnership helped East Zone recover from 138/5 and finish the day at 355/6.
The day, however, had started with another disappointing outing for Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who is still developing his red-ball game.
He began confidently, finding the boundary through mid-wicket before following it up with a powerful cover drive. However, Manipur pacer Bishworjit Konthoujam bowled a back-of-length delivery and Vaibhav’s attempted slash went straight to gully.
Abhimanyu Easwaran also failed to make an impact, falling for 15 after being trapped in front by medium-pacer Jotin Singh.
Kumar Kushagra then joined Gharami in rebuilding the innings. The pair added 92 runs for the third wicket, with Kushagra looking particularly fluent as he struck nine boundaries in his 65-ball 55.
But Kushagra’s dismissal triggered another collapse. India batter Ishan Kishan and Virat Singh were dismissed in quick succession, leaving East Zone in trouble at 138/5.
That was when Gharami and Shahbaz took control.
Gharami, who finished fourth among the leading run-scorers in last season’s Ranji Trophy with 795 runs, continued to find gaps with ease. He was particularly strong against deliveries on his legs but also repeatedly pierced the off-side field.
His 185-ball innings contained 25 fours and a six, as he brought up his ninth first-class century.
Shahbaz, meanwhile, provided the perfect support. The former India all-rounder faced 137 balls and struck nine fours and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten hundred.
The pair’s partnership changed the complexion of the innings, with East Zone suddenly eyeing a total of 450 or more. Shahbaz and Anukul Roy then added another 67 runs before Gharami was eventually dismissed.
NORTH ZONE COACHES UNDER SCANNER
While East Zone found a way out of trouble, North Zone’s team management was facing questions over a selection call in their quarter-final against West Zone in Bengaluru.
North Zone head coach Ajay Sharma and assistant coach Sarandeep Singh left out Sanat Sangwan despite the Delhi opener finishing as the third-highest run-scorer in the previous Ranji Trophy season.
Sangwan had scored 828 runs, behind only Ravichandran Smaran (950) and Ayush Doseja (949), but was not included in the playing XI.
Instead, North Zone opted to play former India Under-19 captain Yash Dhull as an opener despite Dhull scoring only 381 runs in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season.
Dhull’s innings lasted just 26 balls as he was dismissed for nine against the Mumbai duo of Tushar Deshpande and Shardul Thakur. Thakur eventually ended his stay at the crease, with Prithvi Shaw taking the catch.
The decision to leave out Sangwan has drawn particular attention because the Duleep Trophy is an important opportunity for players to push their case for the India A squad for the upcoming home series against Australia A.
DDCA secretary Ashok Sharma said the playing XI was the coaches’ call.
“In zonal matches, it is the coaches who decide the playing eleven. Ajay (head coach) and Sarandeep (assistant coach) are the two coaches. I can’t sit here and say why they didn’t pick Sanat and played Yash,” he told PTI.
One senior DDCA official suggested that Dhull’s recent performances in the Delhi Premier League could have influenced the decision. However, that has raised another question, given Sangwan’s record in first-class cricket and the fact that the DPL is a T20 competition.
The selection has also revived the debate around the zonal system and whether national selectors should instead be entrusted with picking Duleep Trophy squads.
For Sangwan, the omission could prove particularly costly. With an India A Test series against Australia A on the horizon, the Duleep Trophy represents one of the key platforms for players to stake their claim.
If North Zone go on to lose against West Zone, the decision to leave out one of India’s most prolific domestic batters will face even greater scrutiny.
– Ends
