Bengal In Shocker As Jammu and Kashmir Stage Epic Comeback For Historic Ranji Trophy Final

Auqib Nabi celebrating a Bengal wicket on Day 3 [Source: @BCCIdomestic/x]

Jammu & Kashmir and Bengal traded some intense blows on a topsy-turvy Day 3 of their semifinal showdown. Star Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami picked up eight wickets in the first Jammu and Kashmir innings to hog the limelight on a 17-wicket day.

Here, we take a look at the Day 3 highlights from the second semifinal match of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season between Jammu & Kashmir and Bengal, as it panned out at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani on Tuesday, February 17.

Mohammed Shami decimates J&K to seal Bengal lead

Resuming the innings at 198-5 on Day 3, Jammu and Kashmir folded up for just 302 runs in 76.1 overs. Premier Bengal pacer and star international Mohammed Shami added five more wickets to his tally to claim eight for the innings. The speedster eventually concluded with exceptional bowling figures of 8-90 in his 22.1 overs.

Mohammed Shami picked up three of those wickets at the start of the day to floor Jammu and Kashmir at 231-8. However, a fighting 64-run partnership between tailenders Auqib Nabi and Yudhvir Singh extended Jammu and Kashmir’s total 302. Nabi chipped in with a swift 42 from 54 balls, while Singh made 33 from 42 with two boundaries and two huge sixes.

Apart from Mohammed Shami, fellow India paceman Mukesh Kumar bagged the remaining two wickets on offer as Bengal seized a handy 26-run lead over Jammu and Kashmir at the halfway stage of the match.

Auqib Nabi and Sunil Kumar fight back for Bengal

Bengal failed to make the most of its halfway 26-run advantage as they were bundled out for just 99 in 25.1 overs. Opener Sudip Chatterjee and number three Sudip Kumar Gharami were both dismissed for ducks as Bengal’s top-order crashed to 19-4 within the first 40 minutes of the innings.

For Bengal, only Shahbaz Ahmed managed to cross the 20-run mark, with only four other batters barely hitting the double digits.

Auqib Nabi initiated Jammu and Kashmir’s early dominance in the innings with the wickets of Sudip Chatterjee and Bengal captain Abhimanyu Easwaran. Primed to play for the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026, the uncapped fast bowler picked up figures of 4-36 in his 10 overs. His new ball partner Sunil Kumar also picked up four at an expense of just 27 runs, with Yudhvir Singh claiming the remaining two to finish with 2-29.

Jammu and Kashmir survive intense 45 minutes after early setback

Chasing 126 for a historic place in the final, Jammu and Kashmir lost both openers, Shubham Khajuria and Yawer Hassan inside the first four overs to Akash Deep (2-12). Shubham Pundir at number three kept his composure and struck four boundaries to reach a confident 23* from 37 balls.

His partner Vanshraj Sharma at the other end also survived 25 deliveries to get to 9* as their partnership blossomed to an unbeaten 31*.

Reaching 43-2 in 13 overs by stumps on Day 3, Jammu and Kashmir now require another 83 runs to win the second semifinal of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season.