East Zone bowl Central Zone out for 266 on Duleep Trophy semifinal opener

Abhijit Sarkar and Mukesh Kumar claimed three wickets each as East Zone dismissed Central Zone for 266 on the first day of the Duleep Trophy semifinal. Mohammed Shami supported with two wickets in a dominant bowling display.

Rinku Singh top-scored for Central Zone with 60, but the rest of the batting failed to build partnerships. East Zone's seamers maintained pressure throughout the innings and restricted scoring opportunities after the first hour.

East Zone will begin their first innings on Sunday morning. The match is evenly poised despite Central Zone's total, with both teams still to bat on a surface that offered assistance to the seamers.