By Staff Reporter

North Zone seized control of the second Duleep Trophy quarter-final against West Zone on Day 2 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence, building a commanding 171-run lead by stumps. The architect of their dominance was J&K left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq, whose five-wicket haul dismantled West Zone's batting lineup and handed North Zone the initiative.

Resuming the day on 31/2, West Zone began with genuine promise. Musheer Khan and Shivalik Sharma found the boundary with regularity against the bowling of Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh, suggesting that the overnight pair could build a substantial partnership. But the re-introduction of Abid Mushtaq — who had already claimed the prized scalp of Prithvi Shaw the previous evening — changed the complexion of the innings entirely.

Mushtaq prised out Shivalik Sharma with turn and pace that made life deeply uncomfortable for the batters. There was appreciable turn on offer, and the left-armer bowled with such quick trajectory that sweeping or charging down the track became virtually impossible. Mushtaq would later reveal that he models his game on his idol, Ravindra Jadeja — and the resemblance in his relentless accuracy and sharp spin was unmistakable.

Mushtaq Rips Through the Middle Order

The assault was relentless. Mushtaq accounted for West Zone captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, wicketkeeper Urvil Patel, and the resistive Musheer Khan in quick succession, reducing West Zone to a precarious 70/5. Musheer had battled hard, consuming 126 deliveries for his 31, but once Mushtaq found his rhythm, that defensive shell was punctured.

It fell to Shams Mulani at No.7 to provide the lone resistance. Mulani, who would go on to top-score with a well-compiled 52, found brief support from the lower order — Tanush Kotian at eight and Shardul Thakur at nine offered glimpses of defiance, while Tushar Deshpande smashed a couple of sixes to nudge the total towards 200. The quartet batted 173 balls between them, but the deficit still stood at 64 runs as West Zone folded for 187.

Arshdeep Singh, returning to red-ball action, proved a potent foil for Mushtaq. The left-arm pacer claimed two of the top three wickets, finishing with figures of 3-53, and his ability to extract movement early on kept West Zone's openers under constant pressure.

West Zone Fight Back Briefly

With a 64-run first-innings lead in hand, North Zone's second innings got off to a rocky start. Mulani, handed the new ball, struck early to remove openers Yash Dhull and Qamran Iqbal. When Doseja was trapped leg-before by Tanush Kotian, North Zone had slumped to 41/3 — handing West Zone a slender window of opportunity.

But Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad steadied the ship with a crucial 46-run stand. Even after Kotian accounted for Samad, Badoni continued to accumulate, finishing the day unbeaten on 39. By stumps, North Zone had reached 107/4, their overall lead swelling to 171 — a position of considerable strength heading into Day 3.

Brief Scores

North Zone 251 & 107/4 (Ayush Badoni 39*, Abdul Samad 30; Tanush Kotian 2-22, Shams Mulani 2-34) lead West Zone 187 all out (Shams Mulani 52, Musheer Khan 31; Abid Mushtaq 5-39, Arshdeep Singh 3-53) by 171 runs.