Ranji Trophy Final: Auqib Nabi dismantles Karnataka’s Test top order to put Jammu & Kashmir on the brink of history

Unlike Karnataka, who had held their India pacer Prasidh Krishna back and offered copious width for the J&K batters on the first morning, Nabi began operations 90 minutes into Day 3’s play — in warmer climes, after J&K’s project 650 was cut short to 584, Karnataka picking up the last four wickets for 57 runs. Within the next two hours, interrupted by a 40-minute lunch break, Karnataka’s edge on a flatbed home ground had dissipated rapidly. Nabi had accounted for two of the four Test bats and snipped R Smaran — the leading run-getter of the season — for nought.

Three days earlier, on finals eve, Nabi had watched Karun Nair’s recurring troubles around off-stump as both camps shared adjacent nets with limited privacy during the final training session. Nair was beaten consistently, the ball either homing into his pad or clipping the erected off-stump.

Set-up masterclass

In the fourth over of his second spell, Nabi constricted Nair with a a delivery so precisely calibrated it could have been thrown down on a stick by a specialist— except Nair had no idea where it was going. The speeds were starkly dissimilar, but Nabi’s 135-kph seamers could still extract movement off a third-day surface that had lost little of its hardness. Playing down a middle-and-leg line, Nair’s wafted blade failed to account for the full, angled delivery that has earned Nabi the Dale Steyn comparison in Baramulla — and increasingly, beyond it. The precision was unmistakable when he nipped Smaran for a golden duck, denting the magnitude of his 950-run dream season by a considerable margin.

Nabi lived up to the billing in piling unrelenting pressure on Rahul from the outset. Rahul was found negotiating six consecutive balls with the bat as Nabi opened with a maiden. He would have another straight six dot-ball sequence in the next over, the first of which squared Rahul up and drew loud protests from the emotionally charged home fans desperate to see their Mangaluru hero bat big.

A chink was subtly exposed — Rahul’s right leg drifting across to the outswing. On the 10th delivery, he was evidently beaten outside off-stump, frantically retracting the blade to deny the image of being trapped. After 14 balls on tenterhooks, a confident drive fetched him three runs off a misfield at extra cover — his only scoring stroke off Nabi.

Returning after lunch from the far end, Nabi planted the unplayable seed on length from his second delivery. In a one-two-three sequence, Rahul’s backlift moved squarer — towards second slip — in anticipation of width. Arms in studious sync through the follow-through, Nabi slid the ball in with a devious slant, the angle correcting its own course to flail Rahul once more. Squared up, Rahul tried to drag his hanging bat back over the off-stump — too late. The outside edge carried comfortably to keeper Kanhaiya Wadhwan, whose persistent review call overturned the on-field decision, UltraEdge confirming the spike.

Nabi’s credentials had been steadily building into this run. His career-best match figures came in the quarter-finals: a 12-wicket demolition of Madhya Pradesh in Indore. In an evenly-poised semi-final in Bengal, his nine-wicket burst had even overshadowed India veteran Mohammed Shami’s career-best eight-wicket haul.

With his new-ball partner Sunil Kumar accounting for Karnataka captain Devdutt Padikkal early, J&K had landed the collective first punch in their bid for an epochal title. Reduced to 57 for four, the hosts risk conceding a hefty first-innings lead that could prove fatal.
Hailing from close to the Line of Control, Nabi’s infallible composure — that seam-swing combine — has lit up a final in north Karnataka. An India cap is shimmering. Nabi and the Karnataka top order could both feel it, up close, on a hot Thursday afternoon in Rajnagar.

Lalith Kalidas is a Senior Sub-Editor with the sports team at The Indian Express ( digital), where he specializes in cricket coverage. Based on his profile and recent work, here are the key details about him: Professional Background Role: He works with the online sports desk, focusing primarily on the happenings in the cricket world, with a specific interest in India's domestic cricket circuit. Expertise: He is known for data-driven stories and statistical analysis. He writes a weekly stats-based column titled 'Stats Corner'. Experience: He has over four years of experience in sports journalism. Before joining The Indian Express in February 2024, he worked for Sportstar (part of The Hindu group). Education: He holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Madras Christian College. Sports Background: He is a former cricketer who represented Kerala in state-level tournaments, which often informs his technical analysis of the game. Notable Recent Work & Beats Series Coverage: He has been extensively covering the India vs. South Africa series (2024–2025), including tactical breakdowns of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shivam Dube, and Abhishek Sharma. Investigative Journalism: He recently co-authored a major investigative series for The Indian Express regarding the Cricket Association of Puducherry (CAP), exploring issues like "short-cuts" to the big leagues, dodgy records, and how a private firm took over the association. Major Events: He was part of the team that covered the 2023 ODI World Cup held in India. IPL Analysis: He provides in-depth coverage of the IPL auctions and the rise of uncapped players. You can follow his latest articles and updates on his Indian Express profile page or via his social media links (X/Twitter and LinkedIn) listed there. ... Read More

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