Easwaran’s Composed 69 Provides Solid Base for East Zone in Duleep Trophy Semi-Final

Abhimanyu Easwaran produced a composed half-century to give East Zone a strong platform in their Duleep Trophy 2026 semi-final against Central Zone in Bengaluru.

Chasing Central Zone’s first-innings total of 266, Easwaran scored a patient 69 off 106 deliveries, striking eight boundaries. He played the anchor’s role at the top of the order while 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi provided the aggression at the other end.

The opening pair put together an impressive 161-run partnership, giving East Zone an excellent start after Central Zone had been bowled out for 266.

Sooryavanshi was particularly aggressive, racing to 92 from 81 balls with seven fours and seven sixes. His innings also saw him become the youngest batter to score a half-century in Duleep Trophy history, breaking a record that had stood since 1969.

Easwaran, meanwhile, remained composed throughout his stay, rotating the strike and allowing his young opening partner to attack the Central Zone bowlers. His 69 ensured East Zone remained firmly in control during the opening stages of their reply.

However, Central Zone fought back after the dismissal of the openers. Kumar Kushagra fell for a duck, while Sudip Kumar Gharami and Virat Singh were also dismissed cheaply. Aryan Pandey emerged as the pick of the Central Zone bowlers, claiming three wickets, while Harsh Dubey added two.

Despite the middle-order setbacks, East Zone reached 215 for 5, trailing Central Zone by 51 runs at the latest stage of play, with Ishan Kishan and Anukul Roy at the crease.

Central Zone had earlier been helped by Rinku Singh’s 60, while Yash Thakur’s unbeaten 30 guided them to a total of 266. Mukesh Kumar took three wickets for East Zone, with Abhijit Sarkar also claiming three.

With the semi-final finely poised, East Zone will look to build on the solid foundation laid by Easwaran and Sooryavanshi and secure a first-innings advantage.

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