Bengal vs J&K: Pacers hold aces on lively track

Kalyani: When Jammu & Kashmir take the field at the Bengal Cricket Academy ground on Sunday, they will not merely be playing a Ranji Trophy semifinal—they will be making history. The team’s first-ever appearance at this stage of the competition has already been headlined by giant-killing wins over former champions Rajasthan, Delhi and Hyderabad in the group phase, followed by a quarter-final triumph against Madhya Pradesh. Now, led by the seasoned Paras Dogra, J&K have their sights set on a maiden domestic title.

Standing in their way is a Bengal unit hungry for silverware after finishing runners-up twice in the last five seasons and chasing a third championship crown. Both sides enter the contest unbeaten, and both camps agree the margin between them is razor-thin. “There’s little difference between the sides which make this stage,” Bengal coach Laxmi Ratan Shukla observed, underlining the evenness of the contest.

The Kalyani strip, expected to offer pace and bounce throughout the match, tilts the spotlight firmly onto the fast bowlers. Bengal possess what many regard as India’s most potent domestic pace quartet—Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal—each capable of exploiting the conditions. Across the aisle, J&K will pin their hopes on Auqib Nabi, the 24-year-old Baramulla quick who dismantled Madhya Pradesh with career-best match figures of 12 for 110 in the quarter-final. Nabi, adept at shaping the ball both ways, has claimed 46 wickets in the current Ranji campaign and 97 first-class scalps since the 2024-25 season began.

With firepower on either side, the tie could hinge on batting resolve. “I feel if there are good bowlers on either side, then it’s the team which bats better holds the edge,” Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran noted, setting the stage for a compelling duel between bat and ball.

As the historic semifinal unfolds, expect pace to dominate the narrative and every session to carry the weight of dreams—J&K’s pursuit of a first title and Bengal’s quest to end a recent run of near-misses.