Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi made a stunning impact in domestic cricket with his remarkable spell for North Zone against East Zone in the first quarter-final of the 2025 Duleep Trophy, held at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 1 in Bengaluru on Friday, August 29.
Playing his debut red-ball game in the tournament, the 28-year-old seamer picked up four wickets in four consecutive deliveries, completing a rare double hat-trick. Nabi had earlier topped the pace bowling charts in the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, where he claimed 44 wickets in eight matches, and he continued that form against some of India’s top domestic batters.
Coming in as first change after Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, Nabi initially went wicketless in his opening eight overs. However, he turned the tide dramatically, taking five wickets in just 13 balls. He dismissed Virat Singh, Manishi, and Mukhtar Hussain off successive deliveries in the 53rd over, before removing Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal with the first ball of the 55th.
He then picked up Mohammed Shami in his next over to complete a brilliant five-wicket haul. Nabi wrapped up his spell with outstanding figures of 5/28 in 10.1 overs, including a maiden, showcasing lethal swing and seam movement. His effort bowled East Zone out for 230, giving North Zone a commanding 175-run lead.
With this performance, Nabi became only the fourth Indian bowler in first-class cricket to achieve four wickets in four balls, joining the elite company of Shankar Saini, Mohammad Mudhasir, and Kulwant Khejroliya.
Indian Bowlers With 4 In 4 In First-Class Matches
- 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 played a quickfire knock of 44 runs from 33 deliveries in North Zone’s first innings, pushing the team past the 400-run milestone. At the close of play on Day 2, the Ankit Kumar-led side held a healthy lead of 175 runs.
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