Shahbaz Ahmed Stars as East Zone Dominates Duleep Trophy Quarterfinal

East Zone advanced to the Duleep Trophy semifinals with a resounding innings and 210-run victory over North East Zone in the quarterfinal match. The dominant display was anchored by Shahbaz Ahmed's exceptional all-round contribution, which proved decisive in securing the comprehensive win.

Batting first, East Zone built a commanding total with Shahbaz Ahmed scoring a career-best 167 runs to establish a strong foundation. Sudeep Kumar Gharami provided valuable support with 146 runs, enabling East Zone to post a substantial first-innings score that North East Zone would struggle to match.

North East Zone's batting lineup crumbled in their response, with East Zone's bowlers executing a disciplined performance. Anukulchandra Roy and Abhijit Sarkar were the architects of the collapse, each claiming five wickets. Shahbaz Ahmed added four wickets to his batting heroics, while Vaibhav Suryavanshi took two wickets to round out the bowling attack.

The victory marks a strong showing for East Zone in the domestic tournament, combining exceptional batting depth with balanced bowling to secure a semifinal berth.