Nine wickets ahead of India Call! Harsh Dubey is making history with an amazing Ranji Trophy spell

Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey, right, celebrates with his teammate after getting a wicket. (PTI Photo) NEW DELHI: Harsh Dubey had an unforgettable Monday. Hours before being named in India’s 15-man squad for the ACC Men’s Rising Stars Asia Cup, the left-armer took a sensational nine-wicket haul to break Vidarbha’s Ranji Trophy records.Dubey returned remarkable figures of 9/53 to bowl out Madhya Pradesh for 209 on the opening day of their Elite Group A encounter at the VCA Stadium in Jamtha. He became the first Vidarbha bowler to take nine wickets in one innings in the tournament’s history, joining an exclusive list of bowlers to achieve the feat.The 23.1-over spell also made him only the 30th bowler overall to take nine or more wickets in a Ranji Trophy innings.The previous best figures for Vidarbha belonged to Arun Ogiral who took 8/39 against Madhya Pradesh in the 1967-68 season. Almost six decades later, Dubey bettered that mark against the same opposition.

Dubey’s record breaking spell puts MP on the mat

After Madhya Pradesh elected to bat, Nachiket Bhute gave Vidarbha the first breakthrough by dismissing opener Yash Dubey. From there, the day belonged almost entirely to Harsh Dubey.The left-arm spinner opened his account in the 17th over and struck at regular intervals to reduce Madhya Pradesh to 64/5 by the 29th over. Atharva Mahajan offered resistance with a fighting 85 off 123 balls while Saransh Jain contributed 34.The duo put on 72 runs to briefly revive the innings but Dubey came back to smash the stand and dismantle the lower order. Madhya Pradesh were eventually bowled out for 209 in 66.1 overs, with Dubey claiming nine wickets and Bhute the other.The latest nine-wicket haul in the Ranji Trophy came from Gujarat spinner Siddharth Desai, who took figures of 9/36 against Uttarakhand in the 2024-25 season.However, Vidarbha also struggled with the bat and ended the day at 56/4 in 23 overs. Kumar Kartikeya took three wickets for Madhya Pradesh while Avesh Khan picked up one, leaving the hosts 153 runs behind.

India’s selection caps off a remarkable year

Dubey’s record performance added another milestone to an impressive year. He made his ODI debut against Afghanistan in June, taking four wickets in two matches, before touring Sri Lanka with India A, where he took three wickets and scored 59 runs in two innings.He also represented Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy, taking eight wickets and contributing scores of 27 and 24 against East Zone.The 2026-27 Ranji Trophy season has been another productive season for the all-rounder who has already taken 23 wickets in seven innings.His latest achievement came just as the BCCI announced India’s squad for the Rising Stars Asia Cup to be held in Doha from November 19-29. Led by Tilak Varma and Rajat Patidar as vice-captain, the team also includes Abhishek Sharma and teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.Dubey’s inclusion adds another bonus to a season in which he has continued to strengthen his credentials as one of India’s promising spin-bowling all-rounders.