Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir have emerged as one of the surprise packages of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season and will face a stern test against a strong Madhya Pradesh in the quarterfinal clash beginning Friday.
J&K’s impressive campaign has been spearheaded by pacer Auqib Nabi, who has been in sensational form this season. Nabi has picked up 34 wickets at an average of 13.73, including a match-winning spell of 7 for 24 against Rajasthan, making him one of the most effective bowlers in the tournament.
With the bat, Abdul Samad has been the backbone of the J&K batting line-up, scoring a century and three half-centuries to anchor the team’s performances in crucial matches.
Their opponents, Madhya Pradesh, enter the quarterfinal unbeaten in the group stage and bring considerable experience into the knockout encounter. Led by Rajat Patidar, MP boast a well-balanced side with depth in both batting and bowling.
The MP bowling attack will rely heavily on spin duo Kumar Kartikeya and Saransh Jain, who have claimed 32 and 30 wickets respectively this season. Their batting unit is strengthened by the presence of Shubham Sharma, Himanshu Mantri and Venkatesh Iyer.
With J&K riding high on confidence and Madhya Pradesh banking on experience and balance, the quarterfinal promises to be a closely fought contest where fine margins could decide the outcome.
