Ranji Trophy: J&K script history with maiden win over Delhi
What's the story
In a historic achievement, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) have registered their maiden victory over Delhi in the Ranji Trophy, India's premier First-Class tournament. The Elite Group D match at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium saw J&K beat Delhi by seven wickets. The visitors successfully chased down 179 on Day 4 to record the victory. Auqib Nabi was the Player of the Match.
1st innings
J&K reach 310 after Delhi's 1st-innings collapse
Opting to bowl first, J&K restricted Delhi to 211. Pacer Auqib Nabi was the star of the show with a splendid spell of 5/35. Vanshaj Sharma (2/57) and Abid Mushtaq (2/30) also supported him. Delhi perished despite half-centuries from Ayush Badoni, Ayush Doseja, and Sumit Mathur In reply, J&K posted a strong total of 310, with skipper Paras Dogra smashing 106 and Abdul Samad hammering an aggressive 85 (115).
Game turnaround
Delhi collapse as Vanshaj Sharma takes six-fer
In their second innings, Delhi managed to score 277 as skipper Badoni once again touched the 50-run mark. Doesja also scored a brisk half-century. However, they suffered a dramatic collapse, losing their last five wickets for mere 10 runs. Left-arm spinner Vanshaj Sharma was the chief destroyer with figures of 6/68. This set up a modest target of 179 for J&K to chase down on Day 4.
Match conclusion
Qamran Iqbal's ton seals historic win for J&K
On the final day, Qamran Iqbal slammed a career-best unbeaten 133 (147), leading J&K to 179/3 in 43.3 overs. This sealed J&K's first-ever victory over Delhi in Ranji Trophy history. With two outright wins this season, over Delhi and Rajasthan, J&K (14 points) have moved to second spot in the Elite Group D standings behind Mumbai (17 points).
Numbers
Key numbers from the match
Nabi, who was named the Player of the Match, recorded his 12th five-wicket haul in First-Class cricket. Paras Dogra hammered his 34th century in red-ball cricket. Simranjeet Singh, who took a six-fer, raced past 50 wickets in First-Class cricket. Scoring a match-winning 133* (147) studded with 20 fours and 3 sixes, Qamran Iqbal slammed his maiden FC ton.