Mohammed Shami's double whammy keeps J-K in check after Sudip Gharami's heroic knock in Ranji semis
Sudip Kumar Gharami’s 146 powered Bengal to 328 in the Ranji Trophy semi-final against J-K. Early strikes from Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar left J-K reeling at 13/3, putting Bengal in control as Paras Dogra and Abdul Samad face a daunting rescue mission.
Courtesy of a scintillating 146 from Sudip Kumar Gharami at the Bengal Cricket Academy Ground in Kalyani, Bengal piled up 328 against Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy 2025–26 semi-final. Skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran laid a solid foundation with a fluent 49 before Aquib Nabi dismissed him. Valuable contributions from Shahbaz Ahmed (42) and Sumanta Gupta (39) ensured Bengal maintained momentum instead of caving in under pressure, providing Gharami with the support he needed in the middle.
For J-K, Nabi once again stood out, claiming a five-wicket haul. The all-rounder’s consistent performances have strengthened his case as a potential future Test contender. However, the visitors will feel they let things slip, as conceding more than 300 in a Ranji semi-final can often tilt the contest decisively.
J-K lose three early wickets
The Paras Dogra-led side’s troubles deepened when Bengal’s pace spearhead Mohammed Shami struck twice in his opening spell of the second innings. He removed both openers Shubham Khajuria for three and Yawer Hasan for two leaving J-K reeling. Shortly after lunch, Mukesh Kumar added to their woes by dismissing Shubham Pundir, reducing the side to 13/3. The early breakthroughs handed Bengal the momentum they need in their push for a Ranji Trophy final berth, something they have been chasing since the 2022–23 season.
Now, much rests on captain Dogra’s shoulders. Having enjoyed an impressive Ranji campaign, he will need to anchor the innings if J&K are to stage a comeback, with key support expected from their leading run-scorer this season, Abdul Samad.
Bengal (Playing XI): Abhimanyu Easwaran (c), Sudip Chatterjee, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Anustup Majumdar, Sumanta Gupta, Shakir Habib Gandhi (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Akash Deep, Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar
Jammu and Kashmir (Playing XI): Shubham Khajuria, Yawer Hassan, Shubham Pundir, Paras Dogra (c), Abdul Samad, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk), Abid Mushtaq, Auqib Nabi Dar, Vanshaj Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sunil Kumar
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