Kashmir, August 30, 2025 — North Zone seized full control of their Duleep Trophy quarter-final clash against East Zone, thanks to an extraordinary bowling performance by Aquib (Auqib) Nabi. The Jammu & Kashmir pacer delivered a sensational hat-trick and clinched a five-wicket haul, helping bowl East Zone out for 230 and setting up a commanding lead for his team.
Nabi’s heroics began in the 53rd over, when he first cleaned up Virat Singh, then trapped Manishi lbw, and finally uprooted Mukhtar Hussain to complete his hat-trick. Immediately off the first ball of his next over, he added a rare fourth wicket in four balls and followed it by dismissing veteran Mohammed Shami, finishing with figures of 5 for 28. East Zone collapsed from 222 for 5 to being all out for just 230.
This remarkable feat makes Nabi only the fourth Indian bowler in first-class cricket history—and just the third in Duleep Trophy history—to take four wickets in four consecutive deliveries, joining luminaries like Kapil Dev and Sairaj Bahutule.
North Zone capitalised on this momentum by posting a substantial 175-run first-innings lead, putting them firmly in the driver’s seat.
While Nabi’s burst grabbed headlines, North Zone’s bowling unit as a whole impressed. Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana delivered lively, sustained spells, dismantling East’s top order and creating the platform for Nabi’s spell.
Reflecting on his performance, Nabi credited his teammates for their influence: “They have been giving their all for the country, and I learned to keep a positive mindset… 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.”
This stirring display not only underscores Nabi’s emergence on the domestic cricket stage but also raises his visibility among national selectors. If he continues to back up this showing in the remainder of the Duleep Trophy, a place in India’s higher-grade squads—or perhaps even an “India A” call-up—could well follow.
