Auqib Nabi delivered a performance to remember, claiming a nine-wicket match haul as his counter-attacking 42 at No. 9 has put Jammu and Kashmir on the cusp of a historic maiden Ranji Trophy final appearance after bundling out Bengal for 99 on day three, here on Tuesday.
Even a superb effort from an out-of-favour Mohammed Shami, who returned with career-best figures of 8/90 from 22.1 overs, could not prevent Bengal’s slide as the home team collapsed inexplicably in a little over one session, lasting just two-and-a-half hours — 25.1 overs to be precise.
Set a modest 126-run target, Jammu and Kashmir reached 43/2 at stumps, needing 83 more runs with two full days remaining.
Jammu and Kashmir lost Shubham Khajuria (1) and Yawer Hasan (6) to Akash Deep in successive overs, but left-hander Shubham Pundir looked composed in his unbeaten 23 off 37 balls, striking four crisp boundaries.
Rookie Vanshaj Sharma, promoted to No. 4 after his second-innings fifty batting at No 6 in the quarterfinal win against Madhya Pradesh, remained solid on nine off 25 balls.
The unbeaten pair walked back to a standing ovation from the Jammu and Kashmir camp, calm and assured, with history within touching distance.
Bengal, despite home advantage, now require an extraordinary turnaround to keep their final hopes alive as they would have some sleepless nights in the offing.
Resuming the day precariously at 198/5, Jammu and Kashmir were lifted by Shami’s relentless burst.
Though not at peak fitness and operating mostly in the mid 130-kph range, he was disciplined and relentless, exploiting the fifth-stump channel with clinical seam movement.
He removed Abid Mushtaq (27) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (29) to complete his third five-wicket haul of the season, and 15th overall in 97 first-class matches.
However, just when Bengal appeared poised to secure a commanding first-innings lead, Nabi, the leading wickettaker of the season, turned the tide with a 42 from 54 balls studded with one six and five fours.
No 10 Yudhvir Singh played a perfect support with 33 from 42 balls (2×4, 2×6) as the ninth-wicket pair added 64 runs from 76 balls — a partnership worth the weight of gold.
It proved match-defining in the end as they took the team from 269/7 as Jammu and Kashmir narrowed the deficit to just 30 in quick time, shifting the momentum decisively.
Shami wrapped up the innings at 302, finishing with 8/90, yet Nabi’s 42 had already ensured the visitors had their hope intact going into the changeover.
If Shami gave Bengal hope in the morning, it was Nabi who extinguished it in the afternoon with left-arm slow medium Sunil Kumar (4/27 from 9.1 overs) providing perfect support.
Nabi struck in his first over of Bengal’s second innings, trapping Sudip Chatterjee lbw for a first-ball duck.
The review could not save the opener, who registered a pair in the match.
Soon after, Sunil removed the first innings centurion Sudip Kumar Gharami fresh from his 299 against Andhra in the previous match at this venue.
But he went for a three-ball duck as Bengal burned another review.
The home side’s top three, including skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, managed just five runs.
On a pitch that had eased out considerably, the lack of application from Easwaran was glaring. Nabi found his pads for just five and may have decisively ended the Dehradun lad’s chances of wearing the India Test cap.
Easwaran has now played 11 innings in knock-out games for Bengal (QF. sermis and final) in past six years and has failed miserably in each and every game.
Nabi led from the front with figures of 4 for 36 from 10 overs, including the prized scalp of Easwaran.
He later cleaned up Habib Gandhi with an incoming delivery that sent the leg stump cartwheeling.
With this effort, Nabi, who took 5/87 in the first innings, took his match haul to nine wickets taking his season’s tally to 55 wickets from 16 innings at an average of under 13.
Sunil cleverly set traps, including a deep mid-wicket ploy that accounted for Sumanta Gupta and Akash Deep.
Yudhvir chipped in with two wickets as the three-pronged pace attack shared all 10 scalps.
For Bengal, playing at home with a rare opportunity to host a final and chase their first title since 1989-90, the collapse was both sudden and damaging.
After bowling Jammu and Kashmir out for 302, courtesy Shami’s eight-wicket burst, they showed little resistance with the bat when it mattered most.
Brief Scores Bengal 328 and 99; 25.1 overs (Shahbaz Ahmed 24; Auqib Nabi 4/36, Sunil Kumar 4/27). Jammu and Kashmir 302; 76.1 overs (Abdul Samad 82, Paras Dogra 58, Nabi 42, Yudhvir Singh 33; Mohammed Shami 8/90) and 43/2; 13 overs.