BENGALURU: Aquib Nabi had an amazing bowling performance on Day 2 of the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal between North Zone and East Zone. He took five wickets and then got a hat-trick, which enabled North Zone take control. Nabi’s heroics, along with fast bowling from Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, helped North Zone take a commanding 183-run lead by getting East Zone out for 230.
North Zone started their first innings with a score of 308/6 after the night. They then scored a huge 405. Kanhaiya Wadhawan, the wicketkeeper-batsman, was the most important player, scoring a smooth 76. He and Aquib Nabi, who scored a useful 44, put together a key 66-run stand for the ninth wicket. Manishi, a left-arm spinner, was the best bowler for East Zone. He got all six of his wickets by getting the batsman out leg-before-wicket.
But the real fun started when East Zone stepped out to bat. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, both going to the Asia Cup, showed no indications of rust even though they hadn’t played first-class cricket in a long time. Arshdeep bowled with constant anger for 17 overs, even though it was his first first-class encounter since October 2024 and he was still healing from a thumb injury. He moved the ball beautifully and got the perfect fuller length, which helped him get the first wicket of opener Sharandeep Singh. Harshit Rana, who last played first-class cricket against the England Lions, also impressed with his powerful deliveries, getting rid of Utkarsh Singh and Sridam Paul.
Virat Singh scored a decent 69, but East Zone’s batting lineup fell apart dramatically against Aquib Nabi’s fast bowling. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer, who claimed 44 wickets in the last Ranji season, was at his best in the second stint, which was really bad. He first bowled Virat Singh for a moment of bad judgment, and then he got a hat trick by getting Manishi and Mukhtar Hussain out in a row. Nabi wasn’t done yet; he got Mohammed Shami out soon after, completing a five-wicket haul. This was an amazing performance that saw East Zone lose five wickets for just eight runs, going from 222 for 5 to 230 all out.
Nabi said that bowling with Arshdeep and Rana helped him win the match. “I learned how to stay positive from them.” He said, “You have to do well when you get the chance.” Arshdeep also praised Nabi’s performance, saying, “You saw how hard he worked in the Ranji Trophy.” He bowled with that discipline and took 5 wickets in 2 overs. So, he deserves a lot of praise.”
The national selectors would be happy with how Arshdeep and Rana played in a long-format encounter as they try to pick the final squad for the forthcoming home Test series against the West Indies.