History in Ranji Trophy! Jammu & Kashmir beat Bengal to reach maiden final
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "History in Ranji Trophy! Jammu & Kashmir beat Bengal to reach maiden final")
History in Ranji Trophy! Jammu & Kashmir beat Bengal to reach maiden final Photograph: (PTI)
Historic Win! Jammu & Kashmir defeat Bengal by six wickets to reach their first-ever Ranji Trophy final in 67 years. Despite Mohammed Shami's 8-wicket haul, Auqib Nabi's 9-wicket match heroics and a calm finish by Vanshaj Sharma sealed the historic upset. Read the full match report.
Indian domestic cricket’s biggest underdog story is about to reach its conclusion as Jammu & Kashmir is just one step away from clinching its maiden Ranji Trophy title. On Wednesday (Feb 18), J&K completed a six-wicket win over favourites Bengal to reach the first-ever final in this competition. 67 years since making its Ranji Trophy debut, Jammu & Kashmir has done the unthinkable, but is yet to realise the dream of lifting the domestic crown. Chasing a modest 126 at the BCA Ground in Kalyan, the underdogs sealed the famous win inside 35 overs with six wickets remaining, booking their place in this edition’s summit clash.
Since losing both openers overnight, with its scorecard reading 43 for two, J&K suffered quick blows early in the day, with Shubman Pundir and captain Paras Dogra returning to the pavilion, giving Bengal an outside chance of making a comeback in this crucial semifinal. However, Vanshaj Sharma and IPL fame Abdul Samad turned the momentum towards J&K, stitching a 55-run stand to see their side home.
Also read | Super 8 Prep at T20 World Cup: Why Netherlands clash is ultimate 'form reset' for Abhishek Sharma
While Vanshaj remained unbeaten on 43, Samad’s handy 30 was enough to seal a comfortable six-wicket win over Bengal.
Watch J&K's Winning Moment -
Winning the toss and electing to bowl first, J&K dismissed Bengal on 328, thanks to a five-wicket haul for the frontline seamer Auqib Nabi. His fellow opening partner, the left-arm pacer, Sunil Kumar, also returned with three wickets. In reply, the J&K fell shy of Bengal’s first-inning score by 26 runs after being folded on 302.
India international Mohammed Shami was the pick of the bowlers for Bengal, returning with a magnificent eight-wicket haul (8/90), with Mukesh Kumar picking the remaining two.
Watch Shami's eight-wicket haul -
Meanwhile, the turning point of the match came during the third innings, after J&K wrapped up Bengal on 99 inside 26 overs, with Auqib again leading the wickets tally (4/36).
Needing 126, the J&K batters applied themselves better and absorbed pressure to seal the famous win and qualify for their maiden Ranji Trophy final.
They will face the winner of Karnataka vs Uttarakhand for the Ranji Trophy crown.
