Kalyani (West Bengal), February 18 Jammu and Kashmir made history by reaching the Ranji Trophy finals for the first time in their 67-year history, defeating two-time former champions Bengal by six wickets on the fourth day of the semi-final here on Wednesday.
Setting a below-par target of 126 for the home team, they chased it down in 34.4 overs, with Vanshaj Sharma (43 not out) and Abdul Samad (30 not out) guiding them to victory.
This followed a devastating performance by pace bowler Auqib Nabi, who took nine wickets in the match to eliminate the host team's chances.
J&K first participated in the Ranji Trophy in the 1959-60 season and were not considered a strong contender until now.
They qualified for the knockouts for the first time in over a decade during the 2013-14 season.
At the close of play on Tuesday, J&K were 43/2, and they lost overnight batter Shubham Pundir (27) and captain Paras Dogra (9) early on the fourth day.
However, Vanshaj and Samad put on a 55-run partnership to secure a historic victory.
Key scores:
Bengal: 328 and 99 in 25.1 overs.
Jammu and Kashmir: 302 and 126 for 4 in 34.4 overs (Vanshaj Sharma 43 not out, Abdul Samad 30 not out).
