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Then came some resistance, but East Zone's attack remained relentless. After reaching 35/2, North East lost wickets regularly, with Kishan Lyngdoh's 25 and Pheiroijam Jotin Singh's 39 providing brief resistance. Anukul Roy was the standout performer, finishing with 5/37, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi chipped in with two wickets. From a commanding batting display to sustained pressure with the ball, East Zone controlled the contest across all three days. A complete performance sees them wrap up a comprehensive win and make their way into the Semi-Finals.

North East Zone resumed on 7/0 on Day 3, but were soon under pressure as Mukesh Kumar removed Arpit Bhatewara early, before Shami and Mukesh kept the batters pinned down. Joseph Lalthankhuma and Ashish Thapa added 25, but Shahbaz Ahmed broke the stand on his very fiirst delivery, and Anukul Roy then struck twice in quick succession to put NEZ under pressure. Once again, Ishan Kishan was spot-on with his bowling changes, and made sure the batters never really felt comfortable in the middle. 

North East's first innings never really recovered after a promising start. They were 68/2 before East Zone's bowlers triggered a dramatic collapse, claiming 8 wickets for just 43 runs to bowl them out for 111 in 42.5 overs. For East Zone, Shami and Mukesh Kumar who started well with the new ball, but all eyes were on Abhijit Sarkar, who took the game away from the opposition with his 5-wicket haul in the first innings. Shahbaz Ahmed was also quite effective with the ball, after an impressive stint with the bat early on and ended with 3 wickets to his name. The follow-on was inevitable, and East Zone seized the opportunity.

Earlier in the game, East Zone had set the tone with the bat, recovering from 25/2 to post a commanding total of 467 runs. Sudip Gharami and Kumar Kushagra added 92 crucial runs for the third wicket, but Kushagra (55) fell and that brought a mini collapse as Virat Singh and Ishan Kishan went back cheaply. Gharami and Shahbaz Ahmed put up a 150-run stand for the 6th wicket and that became the cornerstone of EZ's comeback. Sudip Kumar Gharami's magnificent 146 laid the foundation before Shahbaz Ahmed took the innings to another level with a superb 167. Their efforts ensured East Zone had a massive first-innings advantage and put North East under pressure from the outset.

1.46 PM IST & Local Time: EAST ZONE WIN BY AN INNINGS & 210 RUNS to seal their place in the Semi-Finals. East Zone completed an emphatic victory over North East Zone, wrapping up the game on Day 3. After enforcing the follow-on, East Zone needed just two wickets after Lunch on the moving day and Anukul Roy delivered the finishing blow, completing a five-wicket haul as North East were bowled out for 146 in their second innings.

East Zone have defeated North East Zone by a massive margin of an innings and 210 runs. They have gathered a massive confidence ahead of their semi-final game and they will look to build on this. On the flip side, North East Zone can be proud of their good efforts in patches and the resistance they showed in the last hour today. For them, it is a good learning curve ahead of the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, starting from October.

East Zone players have earned a good rest day tomorrow as they finished the game in three days. But the semi-final challenge will not be easy for them. They will be back at this very ground on Sunday to lock horns with Central Zone. Rajat Patidar-led side will offer a stern test for the East Zone, with the likes of Rinku Singh, Saransh Jain, Harsh Dubey, Yash Thakur in the squad. The first ball will be bowled on 30th August, at 9:30 AM IST and Local Time. Do join us for the coverage.

For now, this is Saptak Sanyal, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Omkar Iyer and the scorer/analyst Rajesh Pal. Take care. Bye!