Indore, February 8 Auqib Nabi once again proved to be Madhya Pradesh's nemesis, as the Jammu & Kashmir pacer decimated the top order, leaving the former champions in a dire situation on the third day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal on Sunday.
After reaching 84 for 5 at the close on Saturday, Jammu & Kashmir fought back to post 248 all out in their second innings, with Abid Mushtaq (41 off 73) and Vanshaj Sharma (54 not out off 92) playing crucial knocks to save the team from a difficult situation.
The duo's resilience and determination helped J&K set a daunting target of 291 for the former Ranji Trophy champions.
By the close on Sunday, Madhya Pradesh's top order had crumbled to 87 for 5, with Auqib Nabi (3/23) once again tormenting the opposition after taking seven wickets in the first innings.
The 2021-22 Ranji Trophy champions, Madhya Pradesh, were completely outplayed, with opener Yash Dubey, who has struggled this season, being dismissed for 20, followed by partner Himanshu Mantri (31), as Auqib and left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq (2/19) decimated the top order.
With a daunting 204-run deficit, MP still have a long way to go, as Shubham Sharma (11 not out) and Venkatesh Iyer (7 not out) try to stabilize the innings.
However, the day belonged to the 29-year-old pacer, Auqib Nabi, who had already caught attention after being signed by Delhi Capitals for a multi-crore contract ahead of the upcoming IPL season.
Returning to the crease after a sensational 7/40 in the first innings that dismissed MP for just 152, Auqib Nabi struck early by dismissing opener Yash Dubey, then delivered a crushing blow in the 27th over by removing captain Rajat Patidar (8) and Kumar Kartikeya for a duck off successive deliveries, reducing MP to 76 for 5.
Brief scores:
Jammu & Kashmir: 194 and 248 all out in 70.3 overs (Abid Mushtaq 41, Vanshaj Sharma 54 not out; Kuldeep Sen 4/65, Venkatesh Iyer 3/23, Ramveer Gurjar 3/66). Madhya Pradesh 152 and 87 for 5 in 28 overs (Auqib Nabi 3/23, Abid Mushtaq 2/19).
