Auqib Nabi’s 12-wicket haul powers J&K into Ranji Trophy semifinals

NEW DELHI: Jammu & Kashmir are through to their first Ranji Trophy semifinal in recent memory after Auqib Nabi produced one of the most devastating individual performances of the season, a career-best 12 for 110, to topple former champions Madhya Pradesh by 56 runs on the penultimate day at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Set 291 for victory, Madhya Pradesh resumed at a wobbly 84 for 5 and were eventually bundled out for 234, their resistance ending shortly after tea. The 29-year-old right-arm quick, who had already rocked the top order with 3 for 23 overnight, returned to break the only meaningful stand of the morning, dismissing Ramveer Gurjar for 11 and then shattering the stubborn Saransh Jain’s defences. Jain’s 64 off 81, laced with seven fours and a six, had briefly revived hopes, but once he fell to Auqib, the innings unravelled rapidly.

Aryan Pandey’s spirited 22 and Shubham Sharma’s 32 provided fleeting resistance, yet the required run-rate kept climbing. Left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq tightened the screws from the other end, claiming 3 for 49 and ensuring there would be no last-gasp heroics. The dismissal of India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer early in the day—Madhya Pradesh adding only 20 to their overnight total before losing him—proved the first nail in the coffin.

Auqib’s first-innings figures of 7 for 40 had already set the tone; his second-innings burst of 5 for 70 sealed the deal. Across both innings he bowled 44.1 overs of relentless accuracy, extracting movement both ways and never allowing the MP batsmen to settle. The victory margin of 56 runs does scant justice to the control he exerted throughout the contest.

Jammu & Kashmir, who have quietly built momentum through the league phase, now await the winner of the Andhra-Bengal quarterfinal. The other semifinal will pit Uttarakhand against Karnataka. For Auqib Nabi and his teammates, however, Monday belonged entirely to them as they marched into the last four, dreams of a maiden Ranji title suddenly within touching distance.