Jammu and Kashmir seamer Auqib Nabi, who was the second highest wicket-taker in the last Ranji season with 44 scalps, continued from where he had left off as his five-wicket haul bundled out East Zone for 230 and gave North Zone a 175-run lead in the Duleep Trophy quarter-finals on Friday. Nabi’s haul included four wickets in four consecutive deliveries, only the fourth such instance in India’s domestic cricket, as he put North in a commanding position on Day 2 at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence ground in Bengaluru.
Resuming the day at 308/6, North Zone ended up making 405 with Kanhaiya Wadhwan top-scoring with 76. Nabi, coming at No 9, made a telling contribution with the bat as well, scoring 44 off 33 deliveries. But it was with the ball that the 28-year-old made the headlines again. Nabi may not be express quick, but he is capable of generating movement and coming in at first change after Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana made early inroads, he dictated the proceedings.
After bowling the well-set Virat Singh for 69 for his first wicket off the fourth delivery off the 54th over, he trapped Manishi in front the next ball as he tried to shoulder arms. Off the last ball, he beat Mukhtar Hossain for pace to bag his hat-trick. Off the first ball of his next over, he made Suraj Singh Jaiswal nick one to the wicketkeeper to have four in four. An over later, he got the wicket of Mohammed Shami to grab the fifth. Having been at 200/4, they lost the remaining six wickets for just 30 runs.
Later, Nabi said bowling alongside Arshdeep and Rana was a massive lesson. “They have been giving their all for the country, and I learned to keep a positive mindset (from them). When you get a chance, you have to do well. I am playing with them for the first time. I got to learn a lot because they have been playing for India and they have been very helpful,” said Nabi
Arshdeep, Rana impress
Apart from Nabi, the Asia Cup-bound Arshdeep and Rana showcased their game readiness with intense spells spread across three sessions on the day. There might have been a little more focus on Arshdeep as he was playing a first-class match after October 2024. He was also making a comeback from an impact injury to his left thumb that he sustained during an intra-squad match at Beckenham, England, in July.
North Zone’s Arshdeep Singh, left, and Harshit Rana on day two of a Duleep Trophy 2025 quarterfinal cricket match between East Zone and North Zone, at BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (PTI Photo)
But the left-arm pacer showed no sign of discomfort while bowling 17 overs on the day, marked with sustained hostility. Of course, the largely overcast conditions and an increasingly two-paced pitch gave him appreciable assistance but Arshdeep moved the ball well and found an ideal fuller length instantly in the initial hour.
In the other quarterfinal, after Central Zone declared their first innings at 532/4, North East zone put up a spirited fight at the start before slowly losing their way as they ended the day at 168/7. They have so far managed to keep Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar and Khaleel Ahmed wicketless.
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Brief scores: Central Zone 532/4 (Danish Malewar 203, Yash Rathod 87 n.o) vs North East Zone 168/7 (Karnajit Yumnam 48; Aditya Thakre 3/23). North Zone 405 (Kanhaiya Wadhawan 76, Aquib Nabi 44; Manishi 6/111) vs East Zone 230 (Virat Singh 69; Aquib Nabi 5/28).
(With agency inputs)
