Meet Umar Nazir Mir: 6'4' J&K pacer who spoiled Rohit Sharma's Ranji Trophy return for Mumbai

Rohit returned to Ranji Trophy for defending champions Mumbai after a decade. (Photo: X)

When all eyes were on the star-studded Mumbai team bolstered by the return of Rohit Sharma to Ranji Trophy after nine years, an unknown bowler from Jammu & Kashmir hogged the limelight. Umar Nazir Mir tore through the vaunted batting order in a matter of minutes. Mumbai were all out for 120, having done well to get there from 47/7 at one stage.

Umar is not new to domestic cricket. He is 31 and has been in the circuit for over 11 years. However, he never made the headlines like Parvez Rasool or Umran Malik, who both represented the national team. It’s rare to find players from Jammu & Kashmir playing for India and these two were the pioneers for breaking that glass ceiling.

Nah man, this is embarrassing pic.twitter.com/4TTdRJAyBW

Naeem (@NaeemCaptionn) January 23, 2025

But who is Umar? Born in Pulwama and on and off in his state since making his debut, this right-arm medium-pacer has played nearly 120 matches for his state. This includes 50-plus first-class appearances. Players from his state don’t come to national reckoning that often and chances of him cracking that code are minimal. He may never even play for North Zone.

However, at Banda Kurla Complex in Mumbai on a bright morning, Umar shone the brightest. He took off by sending back Rohit and then accounted for Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Tamore and Shivam Dube. That means three international players. Mumbai didn’t know what hit them and got shot out for a total that was way below everybody’s expectations.

About a decade ago, a Jammu & Kashmir team led by Rasool had created history by beating Mumbai in Mumbai in a Ranji Trophy match. The undisputed powerhouse of domestic cricket had rarely lost to such a lowly-rated team before that. Thanks to Umar, they have raised similar expectations again. A defeat will in all probability destroy Mumbai’s chances of advancing to the knockouts.

More importantly, a win will boost Jammu & Kashmir’s chances of making it to the quarter-finals. Before this match, they were second in the Elite A group with 23 points from five matches, one point ahead of Mumbai. There is one more match to be played after this. Mumbai not making it to the knockouts is not news anymore, but if they lose to Jammu & Kashmir, it will be big news.

Umar was not a first-choice player when the season began. In fact, he is playing just his third game of the season when the team is playing its sixth. But, in these games, he has made a massive impact. Until now, he has taken 15 wickets at an astonishing average of 9.93! And think of it, he has not yet played three completed games.

For now, however, Umar will be remembered for scuppering Rohit’s plans of making a big score in a domestic game. India’s Test and ODI captain was yearning for this opportunity. For the moment, he has to wait for the next chance and make sure that he doesn’t make the same mistake against an unheralded bowler who is punching above his weight.