J&K enters maiden Ranji semifinals

Fuelled by pacer Auqib Nabi’s heroics, Jammu & Kashmir stormed into the Ranji Trophy semifinals for the first time since their maiden appearance 67 years ago with a 56-run win over former champions Madhya Pradesh here on Monday. The 29-year-old pacer stole the show with a career-best 12-wicket haul, making a strong case for national team selection after a remarkable season in which he has delivered match-winning performances across formats. Set 291 for victory, 2021-22 season winners Madhya Pradesh were dismissed for 234, paving the way for Jammu & Kashmir to march into the last four stage, where they will face the winner of the quarterfinal match between Andhra and Bengal. Jammu & Kashmir last made the Ranji knockouts six years ago. The other semifinal pits Uttarakhand against Karnataka. It was Auqib who once again emerged as the wrecker-in-chief, adding 5/70 to his first-innings heroics of 7/40 to finish with a dozen wickets for just 110 runs. Madhya Pradesh, reeling at 84 for 5 at Saturday’s close with Auqib having taken 3/23, saw the pacer return to finish the job, first dismissing Ramveer Gurjar (11) and then breaking the resistance of Saransh Jain, who had stood firm with an 81-ball 64 to keep the MP innings alive. Tailender Aryan Pandey’s 22 was the last wicket to fall, but Madhya Pradesh’s collapse had already begun earlier in the day, with India player Venkatesh Iyer becoming the first to go at 104, just 20 runs added to their overnight total of 84 for 5. Sensing victory, J&K pressed on, but veteran MP all-rounder Saransh Jain kept up the fight, stitching together valuable partnerships with Shubham Sharma (32) and Ramveer Gurjar (11) before eventually falling to Auqib, having struck seven boundaries and a six. Left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq was another key wicket-taker for J&K, claiming three wickets for 49 runs.