Jammu and Kashmir created history on Wednesday as they stormed into the Ranji Trophy final for the first time in 67 years. They defeated two-time champions Bengal on day four of their semifinal clash at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground in Kalyani (West Bengal).
Allrounder Auqib Nabi put up a brilliant performance by picking four wickets and so did Sunil Kumar with four scalps as Bengal were bowled out for 99 in their second innings on day three. Set a target of 126 to win, J&K gunned down the total to seal a six-wicket win with Vanshaj Sharma (43) and IPL star Abdul Samad (30) remaining unbeaten. The duo stitched together an unbroken 55-run stand for the fourth wicket.
Bengal started the day well with Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep striking early to dismiss Shubham Pundir (27) and J&K skipper Paras Dogra (9). But Samad took charge of the innings and hit Shahbaz Ahmed for two sixes to shift the momentum.
Sharma struck three fours off Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal and then sealed the match with a six over Mukesh Kumar’s head to spark huge celebrations in the J&K camp. Nabi was adjudged player of the match for claiming nine wickets.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah congratulated the team and said he hopes to soon see players from the region making a mark at the international level.
Before this season, Jammu and Kashmir had played 334 matches in the Ranji Trophy, winning only 45. It took them 44 years to record their first victory, which came against Services in the 1982-83 season.
Knockout appearances were rare. They reached the quarterfinals in 2013-14 and famously beat Mumbai at the Wankhede Stadium in 2015-16 under Parveez Rasool. But consistency remained a challenge for years.
This season, under coach Ajay Sharma and captain Paras Dogra, things changed. After losing their opening game to Mumbai, they bounced back strongly with big wins over Rajasthan, Delhi and Hyderabad to reach the knockouts.
A memorable 56-run victory over Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinal, powered by Nabi’s 12-wicket performance, took them to their first-ever Ranji Trophy semifinal, and now into the final.
