Kalyani, February 18 – Jammu and Kashmir have reached their first-ever Ranji Trophy final with a six-wicket victory over Bengal on the fourth day of their semi-final at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground on Wednesday.
All-rounder Auqib Nabi once again shone, taking four wickets alongside Sunil Kumar as Bengal were dismissed for 99 in their second innings on day three, tilting the match in favour of J&K. Setting a target of 126 to win, J&K achieved it in 34.4 overs, with Vanshaj Sharma and Abdul Samad scoring unbeaten 43 and 30 respectively.
In the morning, Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep dismissed Shubham Pundir (27) and captain Paras Dogra (nine) early on. However, Samad's counter-attack, including two towering sixes off Shahbaz Ahmed over long-on and extra cover, swung the momentum back in J&K's favour.
After hitting Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal for three boundaries, Sharma sealed the victory with a six over Mukesh Kumar's head, triggering jubilant celebrations as the players lifted their coach in a huddle.
Nabi was rightfully awarded as the player of the match for his match-winning performance, which marked a significant day for J&K, who have been impressive with the red ball over the past few years.
J&K will now face Karnataka in the title clash, which will be played from February 24 to 28. Meanwhile, Karnataka is poised to take a first-innings lead against Uttarakhand in the other semi-final, which will be held in Lucknow. For now, February 18 will forever be etched in golden letters in the cricketing journey of Jammu and Kashmir.
Brief Scores: Bengal 328 and 99 lost to Jammu & Kashmir 302 and 126/4 in 34.4 overs (Vanshaj Sharma 43 not out, Abdul Samad 30 not out; Akash Deep 3-46, Mohammed Shami 1-24) by six wickets
