PTI
GUWAHATI, Nov 6: Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly signalled his return to form by cracking a fine unbeaten ton on the third day of the Group B Duleep
Trophy league match in Guwahati on Monday.
Ganguly, seeking to make a comeback to the Indian team after being left in the wilderness since the tour to Pakistan earlier this year, remained not out on 118 at stumps to lead the East Zone fightback against North Zone at the Nehru Stadium.
Replying to North Zone's mammoth total of 504, East were 215/4 at stumps with former Test wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta giving company to Ganguly on 22.
The match started 45 minutes late amidst high drama, with East Zone skipper Ganguly raising security concerns after Sunday's twin blasts in the city.
Ganguly sought additional security forces in the stadium, and agreed to play after the local organisers assured him of fool-proof security.
Resuming at 22/2, the two not out batsmen Ganguly and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala played aggressively and remained unseparated till lunch, with East Zone moving up to 100/2.
Jhunjhunwala (32) departed soon after lunch after the duo had put on 82 for the third wicket, but Ganguly seemed to be going from strength to strength and reached his three-figure mark of 191 balls close to the tea break.
Dasgupta, who came in after L R Shukla (15) became the fourth batsman to get out, was involved in a 68-run unbroken fifth-wicket partnership with Ganguly as East now were 289 runs behind the North Zone total.
Ganguly played several elegant strokes, including his trademark off drives, and has so far plundered a dozen fours and three sixes facing 239 balls.
For North, Ashish Nehra took two wickets, while Gagandeep Singh and Rajesh Sharma chipped in with one apiece.
Sniffer dogs were at hand, metal detectors were erected and the stadium was sanitised, while two gallerries on both side of the pavilion were kept empty as a security measure, ACA secretary Bikash Barua said.
Before the start, both teams observed a minute's silence in memory of those killed in the ULFA triggered blasts.