East Zone notch up 141-run win against Central at Kolkata

A sparkling century from Rashmi Ranjan Parida saw East Zone notch up a 141-run victory in their Duleep Trophy match against Central Zone at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Friday.

East Zone, on 102 for two at the start of the last day's play, may have been looking to pile on the runs quickly before bowling Central out. The early fall of Sanjay Raul, thus, was not a good omen. Raul fell after adding only five runs to his score, making 37 off 70 balls before falling to Harvinder Singh.

The batsmen after him too could not contribute significantly, all falling for single-figure scores. But Parida more than made up for that, holding up one end with elan even as he watched the wickets tumble at the other.

Parida reached his century off 154 balls, his 10th in first-clas cricket. He was ultimately dismissed for 127 off 197 balls, with 18 fours studding his knock. His was the last wicket to fall, and East were dismissed for 211 in 68.1 overs.

If one Parida tormented Central, another one aided it. Kulamani Parida took six of the eight wickets to fall on the day, conceding 39 runs in 21.1 overs as he did so.

Set 263 to win off 49 overs, Central's only hope lay in some big hitting. But Gagan Khoda, who top-scored with 39 off 78 balls, could not find any support. Central wilted in the face of Mark Ingty, who took 4-29, and Utpal Chatterjee, who took 3-32. Central folded for 121 in 35.4 overs, giving East a comprehensive 141-run win.