Some days are better than the rest. Not because humans can play on a pleasant evening instead of baking themselves under the sun. It's because, on some days, all the labour done behind closed doors gathers itself and returns at once, as if every unnoticed hour had to show its worth on that day, and that day alone. For Auqib Nabi it was the 14th hour of February 26, 2026 to do the routine.

By his metrics, and with due recognition to each of the 55 wickets he had earned in Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season till yesterday, two wickets in successive deliveries on Thursday afternoon wasn't a big deal. He had taken at least four wickets in each of his last four innings in the knockouts, and certainly stood instrumental in Jammu & Kashmir's maiden charge to the final more than anyone else. Yet, at the biggest stage of Indian domestic cricket, against the strongest batting line-up in the competition, on a pitch that asked more question of those who sent the ball than those receiving it, he didn't just take the spotlight - but entire light of the sun beating down in Hubbali onto himself - delivering when it mattered, and potentially deciding the fate of the championship which was only half-way through its final game.

On a surface where there was minimal assistance for the bowlers - as evidenced from Karnataka's toil of more than two days to run through the line-up that had gone past 400 only once earlier in the competition - the visitors had understood and assessed the plans smarter, possibly from Karnataka's follies. Their attempt was to target the stumps, and with some late movement available with the new ball, Nabi's skills came in more handy than most.

The messages had poured in before Nabi took the field on Thursday morning. The target was KL Rahul, his Delhi Capitals teammate in the upcoming IPL stint. Rahul was watchful, and when courage permitted, even crafty to find gaps on the field. For as long as he was in the middle, he looked in charge - just like his opening partner, Mayank Agarwal. Jammu & Kashmir's first innings total of 584 seemed too tall an ask, but on a slow surface with no assistance for spinners, it wasn't out of bounds for the international quality that Rahul possessed. Patience, application, and a bit of luck, was the need of the hour, the day, and the match.

And then came some skill to the fore, from Nabi. The ball, pitched on length, straightened and squared up the batter, taking a faint edge to the 'keeper. Strike one.

It was the kind of miss that Karnataka, and Vijaykumar Vyshak especially, could have found more of if he was to attack the stumps more often. One wicket down, but it was obvious, the rest would have to be earned with a great deal of toil.

And then suddenly, a few minutes after lunch, it all began to unpack. Sunil kumar had Devdutt Padikkal caught at slips, and then Nabi shined through. Karun Nair was beaten by a delivery that moved away after pitching, and cleaned up. The next ball, Smaran Ravichandran edged a delivery to the 'keeper that straightened after pitching from around the stumps. Karnataka down at 57 for 4, J&K's total now certainly required a miracle.

Mayank did salvage some hope for Karnataka by the end of the day, courtesy partnerships of 105 with Shreyas Gopal and unbeaten 58 with Kruthik Krishna en route to becoming the highest scorer in the game, but even the day end score of 220 for 5 doesn't leave the hosts with much hope. They need a gigantic partnership, and more to come out of this situation.

Nabi has already picked three out of these five wickets. How potent would this attack have been without him? How different would the match scenario have been heading into the penultimate day had more batters attempted to cut Nabi's threat by going down the track, like Mayank repeatedly did, to disturb his lengths? What if one or more of those dismissals coincided with the 10 times the bowlers overstepped on the day?

Nabi's bowling didn't just shed a light on the gulf in class between him and the rest of the bowlers in the game, but also how critical application was for each of the Jammu & Kashmir batters who bide their time in the middle.

Even on a lifeless track, where dismissing patient players is a challenge, it could come down to one period of play - away from the usual - that could go on to define everything else over the course of five days, like it could potentially get following Karnataka's innings. If the host batters were to evade the Nabi threat, the lost hours to rain on Wednesday evening could have proved critical - the ball was old, the bowlers and fielders were exhausted, the batters were set. A lot more runs promised to be on the table.

In the world of what-ifs, Nabi punched in the defining details. And those came noticed, and calls for him to be rewarded with a place in the Test team have grown louder - especially when there is a missing link in the national team, a definitive third seamer who can bat. Even though a late bloomer in domestic cricket, in some ways, Nabi has probably already been noticed and earned his rewards. A stint with North Zone, and prized catch at the IPL 2026 auctions.

On paper, all the work put in before the final doesn't change a thing of how deserving the 29-year-old Nabi is for greater rewards. Just like it doesn't change a thing for Smaran Ravichandran, the highest scorer in the competition this season who edged the first ball to the 'keeper. But sports - and Indian cricket more so - will tell and show so many times over, how there are certain days and moments more critical than others. Not just for the team, but for their own deserving individual rewards.

It was a casual Thursday, when humans in their collective wisdom opted to play under the baking sun, and Nabi claimed his rewards, owning the hour and the day, with nothing special, just the routine.