Shaw's dismissal steals the spotlight

Prithvi Shaw's latest outing in the Duleep Trophy ended prematurely when he was dismissed by left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq with a delivery that has been widely described as a "peach." The West Zone opener had made a brisk start, scoring 22 off 21 balls, including four boundaries, before Mushtaq's turning delivery breached his defence and knocked over the off stump.

Commentators and reports highlighted the quality of the ball that did for Shaw. "Gone! What a peach of a delivery! Yeah, nothing that Prithvi Shaw could do over there. Just quality bowling," one commentator remarked, as quoted by Cricket Addictor. The dismissal came late on day one, according to The Hindu, and was described as "a classic left-arm spinner's delivery."

North Zone's dominance on day two

Beyond Shaw's dismissal, day two belonged to North Zone. Abid Mushtaq and pacer Arshdeep Singh produced impressive spells, as per ANI and The Tribune, bowling West Zone out for 187 in response to North Zone's first-innings total of 251. This secured a 64-run first-innings lead.

Mushtaq finished with figures of 5/39, his 10th First Class five-wicket haul. Arshdeep claimed 3/53, as reported by ANI. West Zone, resuming at 31/2, struggled to build partnerships. Musheer Khan offered resistance with a patient 31 off 126 balls, but the wickets fell at regular intervals. Shams Mulani provided the biggest contribution with a resilient 52, as noted by ANI and The Tribune.

In North Zone's second innings, they reached 107/4 by stumps, stretching their overall lead to 171 runs. Ayush Badoni remained unbeaten on 39 off 49 deliveries, with Abdul Samad contributing 30. West Zone's spinners Tanush Kotian and Mulani each struck twice, but North Zone finished the day in a strong position with six wickets in hand.

Mushtaq's rise from Ranji Trophy performer to match-winner

The Hindu offered a deeper profile of Mushtaq, noting that the 29-year-old spinner was a key figure in Jammu & Kashmir's historic Ranji Trophy triumph in 2025-26, though his wicket tally was modest—20 wickets in 10 matches, with just four in three knock-out games. His five-wicket haul on day two demonstrated his "real worth," as the report put it.

Mushtaq credited the red-soil pitch, which "gripped and offered sufficient turn," for aiding his performance. "I try to bowl within the stumps and it's very difficult to play that," he told reporters on Monday, as quoted by The Hindu. "My plan is to use the crease. Sometimes I bowl from height, and sometimes from the base. I believe in [higher] speed and staying straight."

His methods, The Hindu noted, are reminiscent of Ravindra Jadeja's approach, and it was for this reason that the visiting Australians signed him up as a net bowler in 2023 ahead of a Test series. In the Chenab valley, where he grew up, red-soil wickets were scarce—green pitches were more common. Mushtaq attributed his improvement to better infrastructure and the support of J&K's bowling coach, P. Krishna Kumar. "When the wicket is of red soil, I have a lot of confidence. I get goosebumps," he said.

Other key performances

North Zone's first innings was anchored by Ayush Badoni's 51 and a counter-attacking 60 off 52 balls from Anshul Kamboj, who struck five fours and five sixes. Tushar Deshpande and Tanush Kotian each took four wickets for West Zone, as reported by ANI and The Tribune.

Meanwhile, on the adjacent ground in the other quarterfinal, East Zone posted 467 in their first innings, with Shahbaz Ahmed scoring 167, Sudip Gharami 146, and Kumar Kushagra 55. They then bowled out North East Zone for 111, with Tripura medium-pacer Abhijit Sarkar taking five for 20. North East Zone, already 349 runs behind with two days remaining, face a near-impossible task, according to The Hindu.