Tanush Kotian marked the start of the 2026-27 domestic season with a standout performance, claiming 4 for 72 to help dismantle North Zone for 251 on the opening day of the Duleep Trophy at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru. Partnering with Tushar Deshpande, who also secured 4 for 57, the duo effectively stifled the North Zone batting lineup throughout the day.
North Zone’s decision to bat first on a dry, overcast pitch proved difficult as Shardul Thakur removed Yash Dhull early, followed by Deshpande trapping Qamran Iqbal LBW. Ayush Badoni provided some resistance with a brisk 51 before falling to a wide delivery from Deshpande. Kotian then dismantled the middle order, dismissing Ayush Doseja, Kanhaiya Wadhawan, and Arshdeep Singh. Despite the collapse, Anshul Kamboj injected late momentum with an aggressive 60 off 48 balls, featuring five sixes, before Kotian claimed his final wicket. By stumps, North Zone had retaliated by reducing West Zone to 31/2, with Abid Mushtaq picking up one wicket.
In the concurrent fixture, East Zone recovered from a shaky start to reach 355/6 against North East Zone. After North East opted to bowl and quickly removed Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Abhimanyu Easwaran, leaving the side at 25/2, Kumar Kushagra steadied the innings with a 92-run partnership alongside Sudip Kumar Gharami. Kushagra contributed 55, hitting nine boundaries before his departure.
The innings was anchored by a massive performance from Sudip Kumar Gharami, who struck 25 fours on his way to 146 before falling LBW to Pheiroijam Jotin, who finished the day with 3 for 53. Shahbaz Ahmed then took charge, sharing a 67-run stand with Anukul Roy and reaching an unbeaten century by the close of play. North East Zone had earlier removed Virat Singh and captain Ishan Kishan in quick succession to briefly stall East Zone’s progress at 138/5.
Brief scores: North Zone 251 (Anshul Kamboj 60, Ayush Badoni 51; Tanush Kotian 4-72, Tushar Deshpande 4-57) lead West Zone 31/2 by 220 runs. East Zone 355/6 (Sudip Gharami 146, Shahbaz Ahmed 100*; Pheiroijam Jotin 3-53) vs North East Zone. The report also notes that another offspinning all-rounder knocking on the national team’s doors, Tanush Kotian, produced a fine performance of his own to begin the 2026-27 domestic season, on the day Saransh Jain was handed a Test cap in Colombo. The report also notes that west hit back in the second session when Badoni chased a wide ball from Deshpande and fell for 51. The report also notes that but an enterprising cameo from Anshul Kamboj ensued as he struck five sixes (two off Kotian) and brought up a 48-ball 50, north were teetering at 209 for 8. The report also notes that north stabilized in the remainder of the opening session through Ayush Doseja and Ayush Badoni; the latter survived a couple of dropped chances to make a brisk half-century. The report also notes that kotian then sprung into action and had Ayush Doseja caught excellently at silly point. The report also notes that but not before giving the total some heft, he was eventually dismissed by Kotian for 60.
