Abid Mushtaq bags 5 for 39 on day two of Duleep Trophy quarterfinal

Abid Mushtaq claimed his tenth first-class five-wicket haul, finishing with figures of five for 39, on day two of North Zone’s Duleep Trophy quarterfinal against West Zone in Bengaluru on August 24, 2026. The left-arm spinner’s performance on a turning red-soil pitch helped put the visitors on the front foot.

Abid, 29, played a supporting role in Jammu & Kashmir’s Ranji Trophy triumph in 2025-26, taking 20 wickets in ten matches and four in three knockout games. He credited improved local infrastructure and coaching for his development, naming P. Krishna Kumar as J&K’s bowling coach for the last three years. Back home in the Chenab valley he had limited opportunity to practise on red-soil tracks.

On day two of the Duleep quarterfinal, Abid exploited a pitch that gripped and offered turn to deliver his five-for. The scoreline read five for 39, recorded as his 10th first-class five-wicket haul, and the report noted he showed “sufficient guile and control, without getting carried away.”

Discussing his approach after the session, Abid told reporters: “I try to bowl within the stumps and it’s very difficult to play that.” He added: “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.”

Abid said conditions at home had often produced greener surfaces earlier in his career and that recent changes had widened his practice exposure. “There were more green wickets,” he said. “Now we have a variety of pitches… red and black soil. When the wicket is of red soil, I have a lot of confidence. I get goosebumps.”

His methods drew a comparison in the report to Ravindra Jadeja’s style, and the article recalled that visiting Australians had employed Abid as a net bowler in 2023 ahead of their Test series. The piece noted Chenab Valley limitations previously constrained his red-soil preparation but credited recent infrastructure improvements for aiding his growth.

The five-wicket haul arrived in a Duleep Trophy quarterfinal match between North Zone and West Zone, recorded on day two of the contest, and stands as Abid’s 10th first-class five-wicket performance.