Duleep Trophy 2025: Jammu & Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi takes double hat-trick against East Zone
Auqib Nabi has put batters in domestic cricket on notice with his sensational spell for North Zone against East Zone in the first quarter-final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1.
Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi has put batters in domestic cricket on notice with his sensational spell for North Zone against East Zone in the first quarter-final of the 2025 Duleep Trophy at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru on Friday, August 29.
Making his debut in the red-ball tournament, Nabi accounted for four wickets in as many balls to register a double hat-trick. The 28-year-old was the leading wicket-taker among the pacers in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, bagging 44 scalps in eight matches. He’s carried the same form against some of the best batters in Indian cricket.
Nabi came in as the first-change bowler on Friday after Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana shared the new ball. The right-arm seamer went wicketless in his first eight overs before bagging five wickets in the space of 13 balls.
Nabi took the wickets of Virat Singh, Manishi, and Mukhtar Hussain off the last three deliveries of the 53rd over. On the first delivery of the 55th over, Nabi sent Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal packing. The talented cricketer from Baramulla completed his five-for when he dismissed Mohammed Shami in his following over.
Nabi finished with magnificent bowling figures of 5/28 in 10.1 overs. He also managed to slip in a maiden, while troubling the East Zone batters with his exemplary swing and seam. Riyan Parag and Co. were bowled out for 230 in their first innings, handing North Zone a healthy lead of 175 runs.
Nabi joined an elite list of Indian bowlers who picked up four wickets in four balls in first-class cricket. Shankar Saini, Mohammad Mudhasir, and Kulwant Khejroliya were the ones who achieved the splendid feat before him.
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Indians with 4 wickets in 4 balls in first-class cricket
- Shankar Saini, Delhi vs Himachal Pradesh, 1988
- Mohammad Mudhasir, Jammu & Kashmir vs Rajasthan, 2018
- Kulwant Khejroliya, Madhya Pradesh vs Baroda, 2024
- Auqib Nabi, North Zone vs East Zone, Today
Nabi also contributed with a blistering 44 off 33 balls in North Zone's first innings, helping them get past the 400-run mark. At Stumps on Day 2, Ankit Kumar-led North Zone lead by 175 runs
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