Cricket: Giant killers from J&K pulverize Mumbai

Jammu and Kashmir’s victory over the star-studded Mumbai team in the Ranji Trophy championship was one of the most amazing developments in Indian cricket in recent times. Mumbai have an unmatched tradition in cricket, and it has ruled the game for decades with the help of the sport’s greatest legends.

Also, this year the team is packed with India’s top stars including skipper Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Dube, and others. So for J&K to defeat Mumbai was akin to India’s triumph over the West Indies in the 1983 World Cup.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was overjoyed. He posted on X: “What a brilliant achievement by the J&K Ranji trophy team. To defeat the champions and that too in their backyard is a memorable feat. I send my congratulations to the players, team management, and support staff. We are proud of you.”

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Former international cricketer Irfan Pathan also praised the team’s performance. He posted: “What a great win for J&K cricket. It always makes me smile to see their growth on the cricket field.”

Players who made it possible

Who were the players who made it possible and what factors lay behind the outstanding victory?

The main reason was the presence of an excellent combination of fast bowlers led by the new ball pair of Auqib Nabi, Yudhvir Singh, and the towering Umar Nazir Mir.

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Mumbai won the toss and decided to bat first. But the formidable batting lineup was soon in trouble against Nabi and Umar Nazir. While Nabi dismissed India’s star opener Yashasvi Jaiswal for just 4 runs, Umar Nazir took the prize scalp of India’s skipper Rohit Sharma for 3. Later Yudhvir and Umar Nazir finished with 4 wickets each and Nabi scalped two as Mumbai was all out for a meagre 120.

J&K batted well to score 206 in reply. In its second innings, Mumbai was in trouble again as the rival fast bowlers wreaked havoc. Again Nabi, Umar Nazir, and Yudhvir hammered down the batsmen and only Shardul Thakur resisted with a determined century (119). But thereafter J&K batters Shubham Khajuria (45), Vivrant Sharma (38), and Abid Mushtaq (32 not out) laid the foundation for an outstanding win.

Bowlers with great talent

Auqib Nabi is a bowler with enormous talent. He is among the leading wicket-takers in the Ranji trophy this season with 38 wickets so far. For a fast bowler to take wickets on the spin-friendly Indian pitches is daunting, but Nabi has pulled it off. He has the distinction of having seven 5-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket hauls in 26 first-class matches.

His new ball partner Umar Nazir Mir is a strapping fast bowler in the classic mold. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, he gets an unexpected pace and bounce at even the most placid tracks. That is what makes him a dangerous bowler to contend with. Even a batsman of the class of Rohit Sharma with all his experience of playing the best bowlers in the world, found it difficult to deal with Umar Nazir.

The third bowler who completes this fast-bowling trio is Yudhvir Singh. Hyderabad’s cricket fans may know this bowler quite well because he has represented Hyderabad in the past. In 2019, he made his T20 debut for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy. In the IPL, he played for Rajasthan Royals and was bought by Lucknow Super Giants in 2022.

The Three Musketeers of J&K

So it was these three fast bowlers – the Three Musketeers of Jammu and Kashmir – supported by fearless batsmen, who toppled Mumbai, the strongest team of India. The way the lesser-known J & K batsmen hit out against the formidable Mumbai bowlers, was a sight to behold. These unknown names demolished the champions in their backyard. It will be a memory to cherish for the victorious players.

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