On Friday, August 29, Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi stunned batters in domestic cricket with a spectacular 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.
Nabi recorded a double hat-trick in his first appearance in the red-ball tournament, taking four wickets in as many balls. In eight games of the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy, the 28-year-old took 44 wickets, the most of any bowler. Against some of the top hitters in Indian cricket, he has maintained the same form.
After Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana shared the new ball on Friday, Nabi was brought in as the first-change bowler. After going wicketless in his first eight overs, the right-arm seamer took five wickets in 13 balls.
Virat Singh, Manishi, and Mukhtar Hussain were all removed by Nabi from the final three deliveries of the 53rd over. In the 55th over, Nabi dismissed Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal with the first delivery. In his next over, the gifted Baramulla cricketer got rid of Mohammed Shami, completing his five-for.
With impressive bowling numbers of 5/28 in 10.1 overs, Nabi concluded. Along with challenging the East Zone hitters with his excellent swing and seam, he also managed to slip in a maiden. In their opening innings, Riyan Parag and company were bowled out for 230, giving North Zone a commanding 175-run lead.
In first-class cricket, Nabi became one of the few Indian bowlers to take four wickets in four balls. Prior to him, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mohammad Mudhasir, and Shankar Saini accomplished the amazing accomplishment.
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 helped North Zone surpass 400 runs in their first innings with a scorching 44 off 33 balls. On Day 2, Ankit Kumar led the North Zone by 175 runs at Stumps.
