Duleep Trophy, Day 1: NZONE reach 308/6 against EZONE
What's the story
East Zone elected to field against North Zone on an eventful Day 1 of the 2025/26 Duleep Trophy quarter-final. With notable contributions from the top and middle order, the Ankit Kumar-led NZONE reached 308/6 by stumps. While NZONE missed the injured Shubman Gill, EZONE are without Abhimanyu Easwaran (injury). Ayush Badoni scored a half-century, while Mohammed Shami returned to red-ball cricket with a wicket.
Start
North Zone falter after fine start
North Zone had a remarkable start, with openers Shubham Khajuria and Ankit Kumar blunting the opening spells of Shami and Mukesh Kumar. The duo added 49 runs before spinner Manishi dismissed Ankit (30). In his third over, Manishi sent Shubham Khajuria (26) back. Yash Dhull, who added took NZONE past 130 along with Badoni, also fell to Manishi before lunch (139/3).
Badoni
Badoni takes NZONE toward 200
Badoni added a 67-run stand with along with Dhull, who departed for 39. After Dhull's dismissal, Badoni took NZONE toward 200 alongside Nishant Sindhu. However, his attacking knock was cut short by Mukhtar Hussain in the 43rd over. NZONE were down to 194/4 with Badoni's departure. The Delhi batter hammered a splendid 60-ball 63 laced with 7 fours.
Information
Badoni gets past 1,100 FC runs
In just 15 First-Class games, Badoni has raced past 1,100 runs at over 55. His tally includes 3 tons and 4 half-centuries. Badoni also has 1,582 T20 and 540 List A runs to his name. He owns 963 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Match flow
How the day proceeded
Sindhu and Kanhaiya Wadhawan marched NZONE forward following Badoni's dismissal. However, the former fell to Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal for a 70-ball 47. Sahil Lotra's 48-ball stay was ended by Mohammed Shami thereafter. Mayank Dagar then joined forces with Wadhawan to get NZONE past 300. They were 308/6 at stumps, with Wadhwan (42*) and Dagar (28*) returning unbeaten.
Shami
The return of Shami
The ongoing match marked Indian pacer Shami's return. Shami has been missing from India's red-ball setup after the 2023 ODI World Cup. He picked 24 wickets in just seven games before undergoing surgery on his left Achilles tendon (February 2024). Although Shami returned to the Champions Trophy, he missed the England tour bus. He was also left out of the T20 Asia Cup squad.