North Zone Push East Zone to the Brink in Duleep Trophy with Stellar Bowling

Bengaluru, Aug 29 (PTI) Pacers Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana delivered impressive spells, while Aquib Nabi shone with a five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, as North Zone bowled out East Zone for 230. This commanding performance on the second day of the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals puts North Zone in a strong position. North, starting at an overnight 308/6, extended their total to 405 all out, taking a lead of 183 runs following East's struggle against Nabi, who claimed figures of 5/28.

The Asia Cup-bound Arshdeep Singh and Rana demonstrated their readiness for the game with intense spells throughout the day.

Arshdeep was the focus, having not played a first-class match since October 2024, and was also returning from a thumb injury suffered in a July intra-squad match in Beckenham, England. Despite this, the left-arm pacer bowled 17 overs without discomfort, delivering a sustained hostile performance.

Benefiting from overcast conditions and a supportive pitch, Arshdeep found an optimal fuller length early on, skillfully moving the ball. Rana, coming off a last first-class match against the England Lions, took wickets with pacey deliveries, dismissing Utkarsh Singh for 38 and Sridam Paul for 7.

While Utkarsh may feel unfortunate with a caught behind decision off a delivery down the leg side, Paul was outwitted by a well-directed delivery that found the outside edge, caught by Wadhawan. Arshdeep’s earlier dismissal of East Zone's Sharandeep Singh mirrored Paul’s, clipping the off-stump bails. These performances are promising signs for selectors ahead of the Test series against the West Indies.

Nabi’s Day Though East Zone could have fared better with more patience, Virat Singh's 69 off 102 balls stood out before he lost his wicket by playing a wrong line against Nabi. This opened the door for Nabi to exploit, achieving a hat-trick by dismissing Manishi and Mukhtar Hussain in consecutive deliveries during the 53rd over. Manishi was trapped leg before by an incoming delivery, while Hussain was bowled outpaced.

Nabi wrapped up a five-wicket haul by dismissing Mohammed Shami, clinching four wickets in as many balls in his second spell (3.1-0-5-5) during which East Zone collapsed from 222/5 to 230 all out.

Post-match, Nabi expressed gratitude for learning from Arshdeep and Rana, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a positive mindset and making the most of opportunities.

Arshdeep praised Nabi, highlighting his excellent performance and discipline, which saw him take five wickets in just two overs. He acknowledged the talent Nabi showed during the Ranji Trophy and credited his success to hard work and skill.

Manishi's Contribution In the morning session, East Zone's left-arm spinner Manishi claimed six wickets, accelerating North Zone's innings conclusion. North surpassed 400 runs with Wadhawan scoring 76 and despite injuries, and Nabi contributing 44 in a partnership of 66 runs for the eighth wicket. Manishi eventually ended this stand by dismissing Nabi. Notably, all of Manishi's wickets were leg before.

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