An unbeaten 125 from Central Zone's middle-order batsman Yere Goud failed to secure his side the vital first innings lead in their Duleep Trophy encounter against East Zone at the famed Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Central, who started the day on 136 for five, kept losing wickets at regular intervals; Raja Ali (11) being the first to go. Harvinder Singh (11) Kulamani Parida (8) and Sanjay Pandey (2) all failed to provide Goud with the support he was looking for.

Last man Narender Hirwani, however, proved more resolute; he made 38 off 54 balls with seven fours and helped Goud add 95 runs for the last wicket. Goud was the undoubted star of the show for Central making a patient 125 off 363 balls with 20 fours. For East Zone, Assamese medium-pacer Mark Ingty and Bengal left-arm spinner Saurasish Lahiri claimed three wickets each.

The home team's celebration after securing a first innings lead of 51 was short-lived. Central Zone medium-pacer Harvinder Singh removed both the openers to get his side firmly back into the game. Orissa batsmen Rashmi Ranjan Parida, who made an unbeaten 53, and skipper Sanjay Raul, who made 32 not out, though ensured that their team ended the day well-placed at 102 for two.

With just a day's play left, East are in a strong position after having secured the first-innings lead. An outright win, though, might just prove beyond their grasp.

© CricInfo