The third day of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group-D clash between Jammu & Kashmir and Mumbai was an absolute whirlwind, witnessing a staggering 14 wickets tumble. As the intense battle draws to a close at the Sher E Kashmir Cricket Stadium on Friday, the match stands on a knife-edge. Jammu & Kashmir, having reached 21 for one in their fourth innings at stumps, now requires 222 more runs to secure what would be their third consecutive victory in the tournament against the formidable Mumbai side.
Conversely, the 42-time champions, Mumbai, will be relentlessly pursuing nine wickets as quickly as possible to defend their target of 243.
J&K’s incredible position, even after conceding a 61-run first-innings lead in Friday’s morning session, is largely thanks to the heroics of pacer Auqib Nabi. The 28-year-old from Baramulla, who was the leading fast bowler in the 2024-25 Ranji season with 44 scalps in eight matches, once again delivered a masterful performance, claiming figures of 16-3-52-5. This marks his 10th five-wicket haul in just 32 First Class appearances.
Nabi’s skill and precision were instrumental in J&K’s remarkable comeback after they could only add 52 runs to their overnight first-innings total of 273 for seven. His spell was pivotal in bundling out Mumbai for just 181 in their third innings.
Jammu and Kashmir players celebrate a wicket
Similar to the opening day, Mumbai’s renowned top-order batters struggled to find their rhythm. Musheer Khan was trapped leg-before by Nabi, while skipper Ajinkya Rahane edged one to Kanhaiya Wadhawan behind the stumps. Mumbai was still at a precarious 22 when they lost their third wicket, as Ayush Mhatre was caught in front by Umar Nazir. Sarfaraz Khan showed some promise with a fluent knock of 32 before also falling leg-before to Nabi.
Although Shams Mulani and Akash Anand offered a brief resistance with a 50-run partnership, the J&K bowlers quickly dismantled the remaining lower-order. With Mumbai managing to claim the wicket of opener Shubham Khajuria before stumps, all signs point to a truly fascinating conclusion on the final day.
The scores:
Mumbai — 1st innings: 386.
Jammu & Kashmir — 1st innings: Qamran Iqbal c Mhatre b Umair 23, Shubham Khajuria c Mhatre b Shardul 0, Musaif Ajaz c Lad b Deshpande 1, Paras Dogra c Mhatre b Shardul 144, Abdul Samad c Musheer b Kotian 44, Kanhaiya Wadhawan st. Anand b Mulani 15, Sahil Lotra b Deshpande 4, Abid Mushtaq c Mulani b Kotian 40, Auqib Nabi c Anand b Deshpande 21, Yudhvir Singh c Deshpande b Mulani 10, Umar Nazir (not out) 4; Extras (nb-1, w-6, b-4, lb-8): 19; Total (in 75.1 overs): 325.
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-2, 3-32, 4-126, 5-161, 6-166, 7-234, 8-290, 9-313.
Mumbai bowling: Shardul 12.1-0-80-2, Deshpande 19-5-57-3, Umair 12-2-49-1, Kotian 14-0-53-2, Mulani 18-1-74-2.
Mumbai — 2nd innings: Musheer Khan lbw b Nabi 8, Ayush Mhatre lbw b Nazir 13, Ajinkya Rahane c Wadhawan b Nabi 0, Siddhesh Lad c Wadhawan b Nabi 10, Sarfaraz Khan lbw b Nabi 32, Shams Mulani lbw b Mushtaq 41, Akash Anand lbw b Nabi 31, Tanush Kotian c Iqbal b Yudhvir 10, Shardul Thakur c Ajaz b Mushtaq 9, Tushar Deshpande (not out) 8, Irfan Umair b Yudhvir 4; Extras (nb-4, lb-11): 15; Total (in 56.5 overs): 181.
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-22, 3-22, 4-63, 5-70, 6-120, 7-160, 8-160, 9-170.
J&K bowling: Nabi 16-3-52-5, Nazir 11-4-34-1, Yudhvir 11.5-4-30-2, Mushtaq 14-1-40-2, Lotra 3-0-8-0, Khajuria 1-0-6-0.
J&K — 2nd innings: Qamran Iqbal (batting) 11, Shubham Khajuria lbw b Deshpande 0, Musaif Ajaz (batting) 10; Total (for one wkt. in seven overs): 21.
Fall of wicket: 1-4.
Mumbai bowling: Shardul 4-0-19-0, Deshpande 3-2-2-1.