East Zone captain Ishan Kishan won the toss and elected to bowl first, a decision that quickly paid dividends as Mukesh Kumar and Abhijit Sarkar led the bowling attack. The two right-arm pacers claimed three wickets each as Central Zone were bowled out for 266 in 80.1 overs. Mohammed Shami and off-spinner Md Kounain Quraishi chipped in with two wickets apiece.
Kishan was forced off the field midway through the morning session after being struck on his right wrist. With the regular captain away from the action, Sooryavanshi stepped in to lead East Zone for around an hour on either side of lunch before Kishan returned and resumed command.
The teenager showed impressive composure in his brief spell as captain. He successfully reviewed an on-field decision that initially went against East Zone, trusting his instincts after Aryan Juyal appeared to edge Mukesh Kumar behind. UltraEdge confirmed a spike, resulting in a crucial wicket.
Central Zone’s innings was led by Rinku Singh, who scored 60 off 88 balls, while Juyal contributed 46. They slipped to 125 for five before Rinku and Harsh Dubey briefly revived the innings with a 55-run partnership. Once Dubey fell, Central Zone lost wickets regularly, despite a late 30 off 26 balls from Yash Thakur.
