Duleep Trophy, Day 2: NZONE gain command vs EZONE
What's the story
North Zone have gained command over East Zone in the ongoing Duleep Trophy quarter-final clash, which is being played at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. Day 2 of the contest saw NZONE finish their first innings at 405/10 as Manishi claimed six wickets. EZONE, in response, finished the day at 230/10 thanks to a fifer from Auqib Nabi.
1st innings
Wadhawan's 76 powers NZONE past 400
The Ankit Kumar-led NZONE started the day at 308/6. While Mayank Dagar fell without adding anything to his overnight score of 24, wicket-keeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan continued the good work. He added 66 runs with Auqib Nabi, who made a quick-fire 44 off 33 balls. Wadhawan, who scored 76, went down as the last batter. His efforts meant NZONE finished at 405/10.
Manishi
Six-fer for Manishi
Three of the four fallen NZONE wickets on Day 2 belonged to left-arm spinner Manishi. The youngster, who finished with 6/111 from 22.2 overs, claimed his maiden fifer in First-Class cricket. This was the second occasion of his taking four or more wickets in an innings. With his latest spell, the Jharkhand spinner has raced to 31 wickets from 9 FC games at 38-plus.
Information
Fourth FC fifty for Wadhawan
Wadhawan made 76 off 152 balls with the help of six fours. This was his fourth First-Class fifty, which has taken his tally to 386 runs from five FC matches at an average of 44-plus.
2nd innings
EZONE falter after solid response
EZONE did not start well as two of their top-three batters were out for single-digit scores. Utkarsh Singh (38) and captain Riyan Parag (39) batted with intent but threw away their starts. A 66-run fifth-wicket stand between Virat Singh (69) and Kumar Kushagra (29) powered EZONE past 200. However, Auqib Nabi ignited a stunning collapse as EZONE went from 200/4 to 230/10.
Spell
Sensational spell from Nabi
Nabi claimed each of the last five wickets in the final session to finish with 5/28 from 10.1 overs. His spell also included a double hat-trick (4 wickets in consecutive balls) This was his ninth fifer across 30 matches as the tally also includes four four-wicket hauls. The Jammu and Kashmir pacer has overall raced to 95 FC wickets at 21-plus.
Bowlers
Prominent bowlers starred for NZONE
Star fast bowler Harshit Rana was also brilliant on the day for NZONE, scalping 2/56 from 14 overs. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also claimed a solitary wicket (1/51 from 17 overs). Left-arm spinners Nishant Sindhu (1/19 from 5 overs) and Mayank Dagar (1/41 from 7 overs) struck once each.
Hat-trick
Nabi joins these names with hat-trick
As per Wisden, Nabi became just the third bowler to get a Duleep Trophy hat-trick. Kapil Dev was the first to achieve the feat during the 1979 Duleep Trophy final. The legend picked 7/65 against the West Zone. In 2001, leg-spinner Sairaj Bahutule also managed three wickets in three balls, guiding West Zone to a massive innings against East Zone.
Information
69 from Virat Singh
Virat Singh was the only EZONE batter with a 50-plus score on the day. He made 69 off 102 balls, smoking seven fours and two sixes during his stay. This was his ninth FC fifty as he now owns 3,321 runs at 36-plus (100s: 12).