A disciplined pace assault led by Abhijit Sarkar and Mukesh Kumar helped East Zone dismiss Central Zone for 266 on Day 1 of their Duleep Trophy semi-final clash at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Opting to field first, East Zone capitalized on favorable bowling conditions to keep Central under pressure. Tripura pacer Sarkar continued his strong form following a quarter-final five-wicket haul, returning the day’s best figures with 3 for 38. Mukesh rediscovered his rhythm to claim 3 for 56, while veteran pacer Mohammed Shami grabbed two crucial scalps to prevent Central from reaching 300. Central Zone Batting Struggles Top Order Misfires: Captain Rajat Patidar fell cheaply for 12, cleaned up early by Mukesh. Rinku’s Solitary Fight: Rinku Singh provided the only major resistance, top-scoring with a composed 60 off 88 balls (8 boundaries) at No. 6 before becoming Mukesh’s third victim. Late-Order Resistance: East were poised to roll Central over for under 250 at 221/9, but a gritty 45-run last-wicket stand between Aryan Pandey (22) and No. 11 Yash Thakur (30*) pushed the total to 266. Shahbaz Ahmed Ruled Out East Zone suffered a setback before the match as star all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed was sidelined due to a knee injury sustained during the quarter-finals. Jharkhand off-spinner Mohammed Kounain Quraishi stepped in as his replacement and made an immediate impact, claiming the wickets of Saransh Jain and Harsh Dubey. Match Snapshot (End of Day 1) Central Zone 1st Innings: 266 all out (Rinku Singh 60, Yash Thakur 30*; Abhijit Sarkar 3/38, Mukesh Kumar 3/56, Mohammed Shami 2/X) vs East Zone. Post navigation India Thrash Thailand by 94 Runs to Kick Off Asia Cup Campaign
