Duleep Trophy | Nabi’s sensational burst puts North in firm control

A hat-trick by North Zone’s Auqib Nabi (10.1-1-28-5) enlivened day two of the Duleep Trophy quarterfinal at the BCCI Centre of Excellence here as East Zone folded for 230 in reply to North Zone’s first-innings total of 405.

The 28-year-old from Jammu & Kashmir, who scalped 44 wickets in his side’s run to the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy quarterfinals, dismissed the last five batters, including four in four balls, to help North secure a massive 175-run lead.

Virat Singh (69, 102b, 7×4, 2×6) saw his middle-stump uprooted; Manishi – who had completed a six-wicket haul earlier on Friday (6/111) – shouldered arms only for the cherry to keep low and thud into the pads; Mukhtar Hussain was castled, before Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal was caught behind off the first ball of Nabi’s next over.

Mohammed Shami was the last to go, trapped in front, as Nabi completed a sensational spell (3.1-0-5-5) to cap a golden day that also saw him make 44 valuable runs (33b, 5×4, 2×6) coming in at No. 9 to help North add 97 runs to its day one score of 308 for six.

The 28-year-old even hit Shami — who had brutally roughed up overnight batter Kanhaiya Wadhawan with consecutive body blows, one on the hand and the other on the helmet — for a clean six, perhaps a harbinger of things to come.

However, until Virat was at the crease for East, there was no inkling of a collapse. The dashing southpaw, who drove and cut with aplomb, put on 60 runs for the fourth wicket with captain Riyan Parag (39, 47b, 3×4, 2×6) and 74 for the fifth with Kumar Kushagra (29, 61b, 5×4). The Jharkhand batter brought up his half-century by hitting offie Sahil Lotra for a straight six.

But from 200 for four, East crumbled like a house of cards to give North firm control of the tie.

The scores: North 405 in 93.2 overs (Ankit Kumar 30, Yash Dhull 39, Ayush Badoni 63, Nishant Sindhu 47, Kanhaiya Wadhawan 76, Auqib Nabi 44, Manishi 6/111) vs. East 230 in 56.1 overs (Utkarsh Singh 38, Riyan Parag 39, Virat Singh 69, Nabi 5/28).

Central 532 for four decl. in 102 overs (Aryan Juyal (retd. hurt) 60, Danish Malewar 203 (retd. out), Rajat Patidar 125, Yash Rathod 87 n.o., Shubam Sharma 34) vs. North East 168 for seven in 65 overs (Y. Karnajit 48, Ashish Thapa 35, Ankur 31 batting, Aditya Thakare 3/23).