Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 9: Jammu and Kashmir created history by sealing a maiden berth in the semifinals of the prestigious Ranji Trophy after registering a convincing 56-run victory over formidable Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinal clash at Holkar Stadium, Indore here today.
Resuming from 87 for 5, Madhya Pradesh mounted a spirited fight in their chase but were eventually bowled out for 234. Saransh Jain top-scored with a valiant 64 off 81 balls, including seven fours and a six. Shubham Sharma (32), Himanshu Mantri (31), Aryan Pandey (22) and Yash Dubey (20) also contributed but failed to take their team across the line.
Pacer Aqib Nabi emerged as the star performer, wreaking havoc with the ball. After claiming 7 wickets in the first innings, he followed it up with an impressive spell of 5 for 70 in the second innings. Abid Mushtaq chipped in with three wickets, while Sunil Kumar claimed one.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir set a challenging target of 291 runs after being bowled out for 248 in their second innings, extending their 42-run first-innings lead. Vanshaj Sharma starred with an unbeaten 54, while Abid Mushtaq (41), Abdul Samad (32), Sunil Kumar (26) and Yudhvir Singh (18) made vital contributions. The innings was highlighted by a crucial 65-run last-wicket stand between Abid Mushtaq and Sunil Kumar.
In the first innings, J&K were bowled out for 194, with Shubham Khajuria scoring 60 and Yudhvir Singh adding 41. Madhya Pradesh faltered at 152, undone by Aqib Nabi’s sensational 7 for 40 and Sunil Kumar’s three wickets.
The Jammu and Kashmir team is being accompanied by former Test cricketer Ajay Sharma as head coach, P Krishna Kumar as bowling coach, Dishant Yagnik as fielding coach, Hilal Ahmed Zargar as manager, Ravi Sharma as co-manager, Sunny Kumar as trainer, Susheel Pajnu as video analyst, Chirag Pandya as Physio, Naresh as Masseur and Manoj as Side-Arm Expert.
The JKCA administrators, CAC members and selectors have been lauded for their role in this historic achievement, which has been termed a proud moment for Jammu and Kashmir cricket.
BRIEF SCORES:
J&K: 194 and 248 all out in 70.3 overs.
MP: 152 and 234 all out in 68.3 overs (Shubham Sharma 32, Saransh Jain 64; Auqib Nabi 5/70, Abid Mushtaq 3/49).
Congratulations to J&K cricket team on creating history by reaching the Ranji Trophy semi-finals. This remarkable achievement reflects team’s hard work, discipline & indomitable spirit. Best wishes to the players for the upcoming matches. May they continue to bring glory to J&K. -LG Manoj Sinha.
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