'Focus on stumps': Mohammed Shami's advice to J&K's Aquib Nabi
What's the story
Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami has offered his advice to Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) players, especially pacer Aquib Nabi and batter Abdul Samad. The gesture comes after J&K's historic qualification for the Ranji Trophy final. The team achieved this milestone by defeating a strong Bengal side by six wickets, with Nabi taking nine wickets in the match and Samad contributing significantly with the bat.
Bowling tips
'From your run-up, focus should be on stumps'
In a video shared by the BCCI Domestic X handle, Shami is seen giving some valuable tips to Nabi. The veteran pacer emphasized the importance of focusing on line and length while bowling. He said, "From your run-up, your focus should be on the stumps. Forget everything else." This simple yet effective advice underscores how crucial it is for bowlers to keep their sights set firmly on their target - the stumps.
Tournament stats
Nabi and Shami's Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season
Nabi is currently the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament, with 55 wickets in nine matches at an average of 12.72. His performance includes six five-wicket hauls and four four-wicket hauls, with best figures of 7/24. Shami wrapped up his Ranji Trophy campaign with 37 wickets in seven matches at an average of 16.72, including a four-fer and three five-fors to his name and best figures of 8/90 against J&K during the semi-final match.
Final match
Brief look at the Bengal-J&K semi-final match
In their semi-final match, J&K opted to field first after winning the toss. Despite a century from Sudip Kumar Gharami (146), Bengal could only muster 328 runs. Aquib (5/87) and Sunil Kumar (3/41) were the standout bowlers for J&K in this innings. However, despite fifties from Abdul (82) and skipper Paras (58), J&K was bowled out for 302 runs with Shami wreaking havoc on their lineup with his impressive bowling performance.
Match details
How did the 2nd innings of the semi-final pan out?
J&K made a strong comeback, bowling out Bengal for just 99 runs in their second innings. Nabi was again the star performer with four wickets to his name. In the run-chase, Vanshaj Sharma (43*) and Samad (30*) led from the front, taking their side to victory in 34.4 overs with six wickets remaining. This win secured J&K's place in the final of this prestigious tournament for the first time ever.
Twitter Post
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๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด & ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฒ๐๐ป'๐ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ โจ
โ BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) February 20, 2026
Mohd. Shami, J&K, and the beautiful game โค๏ธ#RanjiTrophy | @IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/HpoSJ909Ux