Srinagar, Feb 17 : Jammu and Kashmir inched closer to a historic maiden appearance in the Ranji Trophy final after a riveting third day in the semifinal at Kalyani, leaving them just 83 runs shy of victory with eight wickets in hand.

The penultimate day witnessed a dramatic battle dominated by pace, with 17 wickets tumbling as fortunes fluctuated sharply between the two sides. Bengal speedster Mohammed Shami delivered a sensational spell, returning with a career-best 8 for 90 to keep his team’s hopes alive.
Resuming their first innings at 198/5, J&K were eventually bowled out for 302, conceding a slender 26-run lead after Bengal had posted 328. A crucial 64-run stand for the ninth wicket between Auqib Nabi Dar (42) and Yudhvir Singh (33) proved instrumental in narrowing the deficit and keeping J&K firmly in the contest.
The match swung decisively in the second session as J&K’s pace battery dismantled Bengal’s second innings. Auqib Nabi capped a fine all-round display with a probing spell, claiming 4 for 36 to take his match tally to nine wickets. Sunil Kumar provided excellent support, finishing with figures of 4 for 27, as Bengal were bundled out for 99.
Apart from Shahbaz Ahmed’s brief resistance (24), the hosts struggled to withstand sustained pressure.
Chasing a modest target of 126, J&K endured early jitters after Akash Deep removed both openers to reduce them to 12/2. However, Shubham Pundir (23*) and Vanshaj Sharma (9*) steadied the innings with an unbroken 31-run partnership to guide the visitors to stumps without further damage.
At close of play, J&K were placed at 43/2 in their second innings, requiring 83 more runs to script what would be the most significant milestone in the team’s domestic cricket history.