History was made in Kalyani as Jammu and Kashmir overcame formidable Bengal by 6 wickets in the Ranji Trophy semi-final, securing their first-ever berth in the summit clash. This February 18 masterpiece at Bengal Cricket Academy Ground highlights J&K’s evolution into a cricketing force.
J&K chased down 126 losing just 4 wickets, propelled by the cool-headed unbeaten duo of Vanshraj Sharma (43) and Abdul Samad (30), who added 55 priceless runs.
Match overview: Toss win led to bowling first. Bengal’s 328 came via Sudip Kumar’s 146, Easwaran (49), Shahbaz (42), and Gupta (39). J&K’s attack, led by Aquib Nabi’s 5, Sunil Kumar’s 3, and singles from Singh and Mushtaq, kept it tight.
At 302 all out, J&K relied on Samad (82), Dogra (58), Nabi (42), and Singh (22). Shami’s 8 and Kumar’s 2 wickets edged Bengal ahead by 26.
The gamebreaker was Bengal’s second innings collapse to 99. Nabi (4), Sunil Kumar (4), and Mushtaq (2) ran through them.
Aquib Nabi’s Player of the Match honors (9 wickets, 42 runs) cap a performance for the ages. J&K’s final journey inspires underdogs everywhere.