Auqib Nabi on Friday achieved a rare milestone, becoming the first in Duleep Trophy history and the fourth Indian in first-class cricket to take four wickets in four balls, claiming a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, as East Zone were dismissed for 230 on the second day of the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals against North Zone.North Zone extended their overnight score from 308/6 to 405 all out, with wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan scoring 76 runs, giving North a substantial lead of 183 runs.Arshdeep Singh, who is set to play in the Asia Cup, and Harshit Rana displayed their bowling acumen throughout the day’s three sessions. Arshdeep’s performance was particularly noteworthy as this was his first first-class match since October 2024.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!He had recently recovered from a left thumb injury sustained during an intra-squad match in Beckenham, England, in July. The left-arm pacer bowled 17 overs with consistent intensity, utilising the overcast conditions and the two-paced pitch effectively.Rana, who last played first-class cricket against England Lions, claimed the wickets of Utkarsh Singh and Sridam Paul with his powerful deliveries. Utkarsh’s dismissal came from a controversial caught-behind decision off a leg-side delivery, while Paul was dismissed when the ball took his outside edge to Wadhawan. Arshdeep’s dismissal of Sharandeep Singh was notable, with the ball clipping the off-stump bails. East Zone’s position worsened despite Virat Singh’s 69 off 102 balls, as Nabi triggered a collapse. Nabi’s hat-trick came in the 53rd over by dismissing Manishi and Mukhtar Hussain, and he completed his five-wicket haul by removing Mohammed Shami in an exceptional spell of 3.1-0-5-5. East Zone lost five wickets for just eight runs, collapsing from 222/5 to 230 all out.“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,” said Nabi. Arshdeep added, “You saw his hard work in the Ranji Trophy. The discipline in which he bowled, he got 5 wickets in 2 overs. So, a lot of credit goes to him.”Earlier in the morning session, East Zone’s Manishi claimed six wickets, all leg before wicket, quickly ending North’s first innings. Wadhawan, who faced tough deliveries from Shami resulting in blows to his gloves and head, partnered with Nabi to add 66 runs for the eighth wicket before Manishi dismissed Nabi.
