As two champion pacers, the seasoned Mohammed Shami and the promising Auqib Nabi, plied their trade exceptionally for their respective teams, the day produced a mixed bag of emotions for the few hundred home fans.
Beginning at 198 for five, J&K banked on its batting depth to total 302 even as Shami recorded his maiden eight-wicket haul in First Class cricket and ensured a slim a 26-run first innings lead for Bengal.
The host dramatically collapsed for 99 in its second essay.
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The visitors, chasing a modest 126, were at 43 for two at stumps and needed 83 for win.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR
Shami was persistant as he posed tough questions to the Jammu and Kashmir batters, only for all the hardwork to be undone by a dismal batting collapse by Bengal.
| Photo Credit:
RITU RAJ KONWAR
The opening session belonged to Shami, who breathed fire to take five wickets in two spells. His eight for 90 thwarted J&K’s big push.
Shami extracted movement and struck in the second over, having Abid Mushtaq caught at first slip. Six overs later, he had Kanhaiya Wadhawan caught behind.
J&K’s defiant lower order batters, Nabi (42, 54b, 5×4, 1×6) and Yudhvir Singh (33, 42b, 2×4, 2×6), unleashed attractive shots in their resolute 64-run ninth-wicket stand.
A persistent Shami returned to disturb Yudhvir and Nabi’s off-stumps before lunch.
Bengal capitulated spectacularly to be bundled out in two-and-a-half hours in its second innings. Its batters’ lack of intent and application, besides poor shot selection, was baffling.
Collectively, J&K seamers stuck to their simple game-plan – precisely bowling a good line and using DRS effectively – to trap top-four rival batters lbw.
Nabi, who had a match-haul of nine wickets, and left-arm seamer Sunil Kumar claimed four wickets apiece to witness Bengal batters’ humiliating procession and J&K’s delight.
The scores:
Bengal — 1st innings: 328.
Jammu and Kashmir — 1st innings: Shubham Khajuria lbw b Shami 3, Yawer Hassan lbw b Shami 2, Shubham Singh Pundir c Chatterjee b Mukesh 8, Paras Dogra c Jaiswal b Mukesh 58, Abdul Samad c Akash b Shami 82, Kanhaiya Wadhawan c Gandhi b Shami 29, Abid Mushtaq c Chatterjee b Shami 27, Vanshaj Sharma c Majumdar b Shami 3, Auqib Nabi b Shami 42, Yudhvir Singh b Shami 33, Sunil Kumar (not out) 0; Extras (b-2, lb-9, nb-3, w-1): 15; Total (in 76.1 overs): 302.
Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-13, 3-13, 4-156, 5-156, 6-205, 7-222, 8-231, 9-295.
Bengal bowling: Shami 22.1-3-90-8, Mukesh 22-2-78-2, Akash 13-0-58-0, Jaiswal 8-1-39-0, Shahbaz 11-0-26-0.
Bengal — 2nd innings: Abhimanyu Easwaran lbw b Nabi 5, Sudip Chatterjee lbw b Nabi 0, Sudip Gharami lbw b Sunil 0, Anustup Majumdar lbw b Yudhvir 12, Suraj Jaiswal c Pundir b Nabi 14, Shahbaz Ahmed c Wadhawan b Yudhvir 24, Sumanta Gupta c Abid b Sunil 8, Shakir Habib Gandhi b Nabi 10, Akash Deep c Yudhvir b Sunil 0, Mohammed Shami c Yudhvir b Sunil 11, Mukesh Kumar (not out) 6; Extras (lb-2, nb-7) 9; Total (in 25.1 overs): 99.
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-4, 3-7, 4-19, 5-54, 6-66, 7-79, 8-79, 9-93.
Jammu and Kashmir bowling: Nabi 10-2-36-4, Sunil 9.1-1-27-4, Yudhvir 5-0-29-2, Abid 1-0-5-0.
Jammu and Kashmir — 2nd innings: Shubham Khajuria b Akash 1, Yawer Hassan c Gandhi b Akash 6, Shubham Pundir (batting) 23, Vanshaj Sharma (batting) 9; Extras (lb-2, nb-2) 4; Total (for two wkts in 13 overs): 43.
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-12.
Bengal bowling: Shami 5-0-21-0, Akash 6-1-12-2, Mukesh 2-0-8-0.
Published on Feb 17, 2026
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