Gautam Gambhir on Saturday

Guwahati: The situation looks pretty gloomy for East Zone. And North Zone opener Gautam Gambhir’s calm and calculated 86 had a big role to play in the unenviable situation East find themselves in on a track that might break as the match progresses.

Helped by Gambhir’s third straight 50 in as many innings, North finished a curtailed Day I of the Duleep Trophy tie being played at the Nehru Stadium here at 252 for four in 78.1 overs. Play was called off 15 minutes before schedule.

Gambhir made the most of a life he got off spinner Sourashish Lahiri when on 25 — a full-blooded shot that the bowler did well to stop. Lahiri did have the last laugh, having him caught behind by Deep Dasgupta but it might have been a little too late.

By then, Gambhir had shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 96 off 150 balls with the hard-hitting Yashpal Singh, who is on 65 (off 112 balls). In fact, Yashpal’s second straight 50 more than made up for the unusually subdued Gambhir.

Yashpal hit nine fours and two sixes. Giving him company at the crease is another Mahesh Rawat (batting on 12), who hit a ton in the first match against Central Zone in Jamshedpur.

Lahiri was the pick of the East bowlers, taking three for 97 off 29 overs.

East captain Sourav Ganguly gave the players a “solid pep talk” during tea. Coach Paras Mhambrey admitted the spinners did not bowl in the right areas and that cost the team 30-odd runs. “ But tomorrow is another day. We will work to get early wickets tomorrow,” Mhambrey told The Telegraph.

North are without speedster VRV Singh, who was taken ill on Friday night.