Jammu & Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi produced a sensational spell, tearing through former champions Madhya Pradesh with a seven-wicket haul on day two of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal at Holkar Stadium in Indore
The 29-year-old fast bowler from Kreeri returned impressive figures of 7 for 40, bowling MP out for just 152 and giving J&K a 42-run first-innings lead in a tightly fought, low-scoring contest.
Despite Nabi’s heroics, Jammu & Kashmir couldn’t fully capitalise. Their second innings got off to a poor start as they slipped to 84 for 5, holding only a 126-run overall lead going into day three.
Auqib Nabi's iconic performance
Nabi was clearly the standout performer of the day. Fresh from earning a multi-crore IPL deal with Delhi Capitals, the lanky pacer looked full of confidence as he ripped through MP’s batting line-up.
He began his spell by removing Harsh Gawli (10) and Himanshu Mantri (0) in the same over, leaving MP struggling early. The pressure continued to mount when Sunil Kumar dismissed Shubham Sharma for one, reducing MP to 39 for 3.
Auqib then took control, sending back captain Rajat Patidar (10) and all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer (22) to tighten J&K’s grip on the game. He finished in style, dismissing Aryan Pandey and Ramveer Gurjar off consecutive balls to complete his seven-wicket haul.
Madhya Pradesh's comeback
However, Madhya Pradesh hit back strongly with the ball. Kuldeep Sen, who had taken five wickets in the first innings, picked up two more, while Venkatesh Iyer made a strong comeback with figures of 2 for 10.
With J&K five down and the lead still modest, Madhya Pradesh remains very much in the game. A solid batting effort in the second innings could yet put them in a position to push for an outright win.
Brief scores
Jammu & Kashmir 194 and 4 for 5 in 26 overs (Kuldeep Sen 2/25, Venkatesh Iyer 2/10). Madhya Pradesh 152 all out in 53.4 overs (Yash Dubey 58; Auqib Nabi 7/40, Sunil Kumar 3/47).