Abhijit Sarkar representing Tripura [Source: @abhijit_sarkar_22_official/ Instagram]
The Indian domestic cricket arena is full of overwhelming talents, be it with the bat or with the ball. It is these domestic leagues from which the BCCI and the selectors handpick talents for the Indian team lineup. One such emerging talent, as seen in the domestic cricket league, is Abhijit Sarkar.
In the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2026, the 29-year-old pace bowler representing East Zone has picked his fifth five-wicket haul in an innings to dismantle North East Zone while also picking three wickets in just one over.
However, Sarkar’s latest display of skills is not a new occurrence, as he has been steadily contributing to his teams, Tripura and East Zone, for many seasons now.
Who is Abhijit Sarkar?
Abhijit is a right-arm fast bowler who first represented Tripura in December 2014 in a Ranji Trophy match. In his debut tournament in red-ball cricket, Abhijit made decent impression, finishing with twelve wickets from 9 innings.
His breakthrough campaign came for Tripura as he emerged as the top wicket-taker in the 2017–18 Ranji Trophy with 15 dismissals across six matches and also debuted in List A cricket for the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the same year.
Years later, his second significant impact in red-ball cricket came during the 2023 Ranji Trophy season, when he represented Tripura and claimed 12 wickets from seven innings. This included a memorable six-wicket haul against Vidarbha, which helped him gain recognition as a key pace-bowling option for Tripura.
Abhijit Sarkar continued to impress in the 2023 Vijay Hazare Trophy and made another significant breakthrough in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season, where he bagged an impressive 15 wickets from just six innings.
That season included a five-wicket haul against Baroda, along with two three-wicket hauls during the tournament.
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The East Zone call-up for Sarkar
Sarkar was equally impressive in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season, where he began to attract significant attention and earned his selection in the East Zone squad.
His East Zone call-up was further strengthened by his outstanding performances for Tripura in the Ranji Trophy, where he claimed 19 wickets from nine innings while maintaining an impressive economy rate of 2.91. He also produced multiple three-wicket and four-wicket hauls during the season.
Abhijit Sarkar boosts East Zone’s chances in the Quarter Final with his fifer
Sarkar, who has been a hard-working cricketer since making his debut in Indian red-ball cricket, provided a fresh boost to East Zone, putting them firmly in control with a five-wicket haul in the first quarter-final of the tournament.
East Zone chose to bat first and posted 467 runs on the board. When North East Zone came out to bat in reply, they were bundled out for just 111 runs, courtesy of Abhijit Sarkar's sensational bowling.

Sarkar dismantled North East Zone's top, middle and lower-middle order, claiming the wickets of North East Zone captain Rongsen Jonathan, Akash Kumar Choudhury and Bishworjit Konthoujam in the same over.
He picked up all three wickets in the 43rd over to help East Zone establish complete dominance in the match.
Can BCCI think of Abhijit Sarkar in the Indian Test setup?
Sarkar is a medium pacer if the speed of his bowling is considered. The cricketer is also not a very good prospect with the bat, which eliminates the probability of him being an all-rounder in India’s Test setup.
| Stats | Data |
| Innings | 68 |
| Runs | 625 |
| Average | 13.58 |
| Strike Rate | 71.51 |
[Abhijit Sarkar's batting record in first-class cricket]
BCCI might think of him as a pace bowling prospect in the future; however, there are a lot of recent red-ball sensations who are yet to get a fair chance in the national setup. Sarkar has exquisite line and length control of the bowl and the ability to throw in cutters.
He can be a solid inclusion on green pitches. However, Gautam Gambhir & Co. might not lean on him at this moment in search of an aged medium pacer who cannot be a fast-bowling all-rounder at least now. Some improvements with the bat for Abhijit Sarkar might light up the case in the ongoing Duleep Trophy 2026.
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