Duleep Trophy 2023: Saurabh Kumar picks eight second-innings wickets to dismantle East Zone

This was the left-armers 20th five wicket haul in First Class (FC) cricket. It is also the seventh instance of him picking up ten wickets in a match in FC cricket.

FILE PHOTO: India A’s Saurabh Kumar, celebrates the last wicket of New Zealand A’s Jacob Duffy during the third Test cricket match between India A and New Zealand A, at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K/ The Hindu

Central Zone’s Saurabh Kumar picked up an eight-wicket haul in the second innings of the Duleep trophy quarterfinal match against East Zone at the Alur cricket stadium.

Saurabh also secured 11 wickets for the match after picking up three wickets in the first essay.

This was the left-armers 20th five wicket haul in First Class (FC) cricket. It is also the seventh instance of him picking up ten wickets in a match in FC cricket.

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East Zone was set a target of 300 in the fourth innings at Alur midway through the third day’s play. But Saurabh severely dented its chances, picking up four wickets on the day to reduce East Zone to 69/6.

He then went on to scalp all four remaining wickets on the final day to finish with 8/64 in 18.2 overs.

Saurabh was part of the victorious Rest of India team in the Irani Cup held at Gwalior in March, picking up four wickets in the match.

The 30-year-old from Uttar Pradesh had picked up 248 FC wickets before this match, since making his debut for Services against Himachal Pradesh in 2014.

The southpaw has also scored 1878 runs with two hundreds and 11 fifties, at an average of 28.02 in FC cricket.