Umar Nazir Mir on fire during J&K vs ROI Irani Cup 2026 | PC- ScreengrabThe reigning Ranji champions, Jammu & Kashmir, are playing the Rest of India in the Irani Cup 2026, where an unknown commodity by the name of Umar Nazir Mir came out as a surprise for Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan.Batting first against the hosts in Srinagar, the ROI team got going as Shikhar Mohan continued his rich form and scored a half-century, but the J&K bowlers kept breaking partnerships at regular intervals. Umar Nazir Mir stuns Rishabh Pant, Sarfaraz Khan with remarkable bowlingAlthough Lone Nasir Muzaffar made initial amends for the Ranji winners, Umar Nazir Mir shifted the game in the team's favour. Interestingly, the 33-year-old right-arm seamer is playing in place of Auqib Nabi, who made his ODI debut against West Indies on Wednesday.Bowling in his third spell, the new-ball bowler used the favourable conditions to his advantage, but he also tricked Rishabh Pant and Sarfaraz Khan by bowling in the right areas.He angled a hard length into Sarfaraz to make the Mumbaikar tickle down the legside of the keeper. At the same time, the ROI captain bowed out after looking his concentration against the J&K seamer’s accurate line and length. BCCI Domestic @BCCIdomestic The BIG breakthroughs 👊 🎥 Umar Nazir strikes twice with wickets of Sarfaraz Khan & Rishabh Pant 👏 Updates ▶️ Oct 1, 2026, 2:39 PM Umar Nazir has played 64 First-Class matches, with Pant being his 150th number. He has also taken 86 wickets in white-ball domestic formats. He was part of the J&K team that won its maiden Ranji title earlier this year, but he played just three matches and took four wickets. Shikhar Mohan, Sarfaraz Khan fight but J&K trounce ROI battersOn the first day of the Irani Cup, the Rest of India find themselves in a spot of bother in their first innings. Opener Shikhar Mohan looked solid with a calm 60, while Sarfaraz Khan added 45 to the team’s total, but the rest of the mighty ROI batters failed big time. At the time of Tea on Day 1, the visitors have lost seven of their wickets with just 155 runs on the board, but the reliable Smaran Ravichandran is still in the middle. Also Read: Zaheer Khan Given Free Hand To Pick CSK Support Staff For IPL 2027
