Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Auqib Nabi delivered a superb opening spell to put his team in a strong position in the Ranji Trophy final against the Karnataka cricket team on Thursday.
Auqib Nabi rattled Karnataka's batting
After J&K were bowled out for a massive 584 on Day 3, Nabi came out firing with the ball. The 29-year-old bowled with pace, accuracy and great control, finishing with figures of 3 for 32 in 14 overs. What stood out even more was his effort the speedster bowled nine overs in a row in his first spell, constantly troubling Karnataka’s top batters.
He made an early breakthrough by dismissing KL Rahul, giving his team the perfect start. Soon after, he struck twice in two balls to put Karnataka under serious pressure. He first removed Karun Nair with a brilliant delivery that angled in and then moved away after pitching, clipping the top of off stump. On the very next ball, he sent back the in-form Smaran Ravichandran, leaving Karnataka reeling.
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Mayank Agarwal scored a century
At the other end, experienced batter Mayank Agarwal tried to steady the innings. He played patiently and showed strong defence, remaining unbeaten on 130 from 207 balls by the end of the day. He did have a bit of luck, though — he was dropped when he was on 124.
Despite Agarwal’s resistance, Karnataka ended the day at 220 for 5, still trailing by 364 runs. They now need 165 more runs just to avoid the follow-on.
For Jammu and Kashmir, this match is part of a historic journey. Since making their Ranji Trophy debut in the 1959-60 season, they had never gone beyond the early stages for many years. This season, they reached their first-ever semifinal and have carried that momentum into the final.
Nabi has been one of their key players throughout the tournament. With his three wickets in this match, his tally for the season has gone up to 58 wickets, just one behind Mayank Mishra of the Uttarakhand cricket team, who leads the wicket charts with 59. With the title within reach, Jammu and Kashmir are now closer than ever to creating history.
Brief Scores
Jammu and Kashmir 584; 173.1 overs (Shubham Pundir 121, Yawer Hassan 88, Sahil Lotra 72, Paras Dogra 70, Kanhaiya Wadhawan 70; Prasidh Krishna 5/98). Karnataka 220/5; 69 overs (Mayank Agarwal 130 batting; Auqib Nabi 3/32).