NEW DELHI: Auqib Nabi produced a spell for the ages, finishing with a nine-wicket match haul while also striking a counter attacking 42 from No 9 to push Jammu and Kashmir to the brink of a historic maiden Ranji Trophy final. His all-round show helped bundle Bengal out for 99 on day three on Tuesday.

Even a heroic effort from Mohammed Shami, who returned with career best figures of 8 for 90 from 22.1 overs, could not stop Bengal’s dramatic slide. The hosts folded in just over a session, lasting only 25.1 overs across two and a half hours in a stunning collapse.

Chasing a modest 126, Jammu and Kashmir reached 43 for 2 at stumps, needing 83 more with two full days in hand.

Shubham Khajuria fell for 1 and Yawer Hasan for 6 to Akash Deep in successive overs, but left hander Shubham Pundir looked assured in his unbeaten 23 off 37 balls, striking four boundaries.

Rookie Vanshaj Sharma, promoted to No 4 after his second innings fifty against Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinal, stayed firm on 9 from 25 balls.

The unbeaten duo walked back to a standing ovation from the Jammu and Kashmir camp, calm and composed, with history now within touching distance.

Shami brilliance keeps Bengal alive

Despite the looming defeat, Bengal had their moment in the morning through Shami’s relentless burst.

Resuming at 198 for 5, Jammu and Kashmir were rocked by Shami, who though not at peak pace and operating largely in the mid 130 kph range, bowled with discipline and control, targeting the fifth stump channel with sharp seam movement.

He dismissed Abid Mushtaq for 27 and Kanhaiya Wadhawan for 29 to complete his third five wicket haul of the season and 15th overall in 97 first class matches.

However, just when Bengal seemed set for a sizeable first innings lead, Nabi turned the tide with a brisk 42 off 54 balls, laced with one six and five fours.

No 10 Yudhvir Singh provided ideal support with 33 off 42 balls as the ninth wicket pair added 64 runs from 76 deliveries, a partnership that proved priceless.

From 269 for 7, Jammu and Kashmir closed in on Bengal’s total, trimming the deficit to just 30 and seizing the momentum.

Shami eventually wrapped up the innings at 302 to finish with 8 for 90, but Nabi’s late flourish ensured the visitors carried belief into the second innings.

Nabi and Sunil trigger dramatic collapse

If Shami ignited hope for Bengal in the morning, Nabi extinguished it in the afternoon, with left arm seamer Sunil Kumar offering excellent support with figures of 4 for 27 from 9.1 overs.

Nabi struck with the first ball of Bengal’s second innings, trapping Sudip Chatterjee lbw. The review did not help as the opener recorded a pair.

Sunil soon removed first innings centurion Sudip Kumar Gharami, who had scored 299 against Andhra in the previous match at this venue, for a three-ball duck as Bengal burned another review.

The top order, including skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, managed just five runs between them.

On a surface that had eased considerably, Easwaran’s lack of application stood out. Nabi trapped him for 5, a dismissal that may dent his India Test aspirations.

Easwaran has now endured 11 knockout innings for Bengal over the past six years without a significant contribution.

Nabi finished with 4 for 36 from 10 overs, including the prized wicket of Easwaran, and later bowled Habib Gandhi with a sharp incoming delivery that rattled the leg stump.

Having taken 5 for 87 in the first innings, Nabi ended with nine wickets in the match, taking his season tally to 55 from 16 innings at an average under 13.

Sunil employed clever field settings, including a deep mid-wicket trap that accounted for Sumanta Gupta and Akash Deep.

Yudhvir chipped in with two wickets as the pace trio shared all 10 scalps.

For Bengal, who were eyeing a first Ranji Trophy title since 1989 to 90 and the chance to host the final at home, the collapse was sudden and crushing.

After bowling Jammu and Kashmir out for 302 on the back of Shami’s eight wicket effort, Bengal failed to show the required resolve with the bat when it mattered most.

(With PTI Inputs)