Jammu & Kashmir 302 (Abdul Samad 82, Mohammed Shami 8-90) & 126-4 (Vanshaj Sharma 43, Samad 30)
Bengal 328 (Sudip Gharami 146, Auqib Nabi 5-87) & 99 (Shahbaz Ahmed 24, Sunil Samson 4-27, Nabi 4-36)
J&K won by six wickets
Jammu & Kashmir will contest a Ranji Trophy final for the first time, an outcome that sounded fanciful when the season began. A measured chase on the fourth morning in Kalyani saw them overhaul Bengal’s 125-run target with six wickets to spare, completing a result that rested on three performances: Abdul Samad’s brisk runs in both innings, Auqib Nabi’s nine wickets across the match, and Vanshaj Sharma’s unflustered 43 not out at the finish.
“We spoke about staying calm, one ball at a time,” Samad said, moments after crunching the winning boundary straight back over Mukesh Kumar’s head. “The lads have been brilliant all year and we didn’t want to change anything today.”
Key facts first
• Nabi’s figures of 5-87 and 4-36 ripped the heart out of Bengal’s line-up.
• Samad scored 82 on the first day and 30* from 27 balls in the decisive chase.
• Bengal quicks Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep gave their side hope by removing Shubham Pundir and Paras Dogra early on the final morning.
• J&K were 71-4, still 55 short, when Samad counter-attacked to tilt the match irrevocably.
Morning nerves, early strikes
Resuming at 43-2, J&K required a further 83. On a surface still offering seam movement, Shami located his rhythm straight away. From around the wicket he speared a length ball back through Pundir’s tentative drive; off and middle disappeared and Bengal roared back into the contest.
Dogra reviewed an lbw that replays showed was sliding past leg stump but the captain never settled. Akash Deep peppered him with the short ball, then pitched one full and wide enough to lure the drive; a thin edge was brilliantly held by wicketkeeper Habib Gandhi diving right. At 71-4 a previously placid chase looked anything but.
Samad’s counter
Samad’s response was emphatic rather than reckless. A flat six over wide long-on off Akash Deep loosened the shoulders before a lofted drive produced four more. When left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed entered, Samad skipped down to meet him, lifting consecutive sixes over long-on and extra-cover. The target slipped below 40, and Bengal’s fielders—so lively an hour earlier—visibly deflated.
Alongside him, Vanshaj Sharma played the role of adhesive. The 24-year-old left-hander waited on anything remotely over-pitched, punching Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal for three boundaries in an over. “I just wanted to bat till the end,” he explained. “Abdul was scoring freely, so my job was simple: give him the strike and cash in when the bad ball came.”
Nabi’s relentless accuracy
The chase, though, existed only because Nabi had dismantled Bengal’s second innings late on day three. Skiddy seam, a tight off-stump line and the odd in-ducker—enough jargon for the purists, yet straightforward cricket really—brought him 4-36 as Bengal were bundled out for 99. “My role was simple: hit the seam and keep asking questions,” he said, understated as ever.
Bengal’s what-ifs
Bengal will regret squandered starts in their first innings; Gharami’s lovely 146 lacked meaningful support. They might also ponder whether an extra spinner, or even earlier use of Shahbaz, would have altered the final morning. “You have to give credit where it’s due,” coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla admitted. “They absorbed pressure better than we did.”
Historical context
J&K’s maiden Ranji appearance came 67 years ago. Political upheaval, infrastructure gaps and limited first-class exposure have all slowed their progress since. Reaching this final does not erase those hurdles, yet it speaks to steady work behind the scenes—central contracts from the state association, upgraded practice facilities in Srinagar and Jammu, and shrewd recruitment of experienced hands such as Dogra.
“This group has shown incredible character,” Dogra noted, the relief evident. “We’ve been on the road for three months and never stopped believing.”
What next
The final awaits in a week’s time, venue still to be confirmed. Whomever they meet—defending champions Mumbai remain favourites from the other semi-final—J&K will start as underdogs once more. They are happy with that tag. As Samad laughed while collecting his Player-of-the-Match award: “Fairy tales are more fun when nobody sees them coming.”
