Srinagar, Oct 02: Jammu and Kashmir produced a strong lower-order fightback on the second day of the Irani Cup, recovering from 166 for eight to post 278 and take a 41-run first-innings lead over the Rest of India at the Sher-i-Kashmir Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The surface continued to offer assistance to the seamers, making batting difficult whenever the bowlers hit the right areas. The pitch had already helped produce 12 wickets on the opening day, and the second day’s play again saw the fast bowlers keep the batters under pressure.
J&K resumed at 21 for two, still 216 runs behind the Rest of India’s first-innings 237. The hosts soon slipped further into trouble as Shubham Khajuria fell for four and Qamran Iqbal was dismissed for 24. At 37 for four, J&K were facing the prospect of conceding a substantial first-innings deficit.
Paras Dogra and Abdul Samad then settled into a useful partnership. With the ball moving off the surface, the pair were prepared to leave deliveries outside the off stump and wait for scoring opportunities rather than chasing the bowlers.
Their stand brought some stability to the innings and took J&K to 70 for four at the tea interval, still 167 runs behind.
Samad continued the recovery after the break and brought up his half-century from 80 balls. He attacked whenever the bowlers offered width, but the Rest of India eventually found his edge and removed him for 57 off 88 balls.
That dismissal saw J&K again in wobble. The hosts slipped to 166 for eight, leaving them 71 runs short of the Rest of India’s total with only two wickets remaining.
Dogra, however, refused to let the innings unravel. He continued to occupy the crease, absorbing the pressure while waiting for the bowlers to stray.
At the other end, Lone Nasir Muzaffar adopted a different approach. The No. 10 batter initially looked to get his eye in but then began taking the attack back to the bowlers.
Nasir used the pace when it was offered and found the boundary regularly as the Rest of India field spread. His aggressive approach was particularly important on a surface where stroke-making had not been easy.
The ninth-wicket partnership with Dogra added 64 runs, taking J&K to within seven runs of parity. Dogra eventually departed for a well-made 75 from 143 balls, leaving Nasir with the task of taking J&K past the Rest of India’s total.
Nasir responded with a burst of attacking cricket. He reached his maiden first-class half-century from 48 balls and finished with eight fours and three sixes.
One of the defining moments came when Nasir pulled a short delivery over deep midwicket, sending the ball into the stands and putting J&K ahead of the Rest of India. The shot took the hosts beyond 237 and triggered celebrations in the J&K camp.
Nasir eventually fell for 64 off 58 balls, but not before his counterattack had completely changed the equation. He and Sunil Kumar also added 48 for the last wicket, allowing J&K to finish on 278.
From 166 for eight, the hosts had added 112 runs from their final two wickets.
Mukesh Choudhary was the Rest of India’s most successful bowler, finishing with five wickets for 78 runs, while Akash Deep claimed three.
Rest of India began their second innings 41 runs behind and needed to erase that deficit before establishing a lead.
J&K’s seamers again found enough movement to make the opening overs uncomfortable. Sunil Kumar struck early, removing Shikhar Mohan for two and giving the hosts an immediate opening.
Sanat Sangwan and Sudip Kumar Gharami then negotiated the remaining overs carefully. They avoided unnecessary risks and took the visitors to 24 for one after 15 overs.
At stumps, both batters were unbeaten on 10, leaving Rest of India 17 runs behind J&K overall with nine wickets still in hand.
The second day’s scorecard tells the story of a major swing in momentum. J&K went from 37 for four to 70 for four, then slipped to 166 for eight and appeared set to concede a sizeable deficit.
Instead, Dogra’s patience and Nasir’s attacking strokeplay produced 112 runs from the final two wickets and gave J&K a 41-run first-innings advantage.
Rest of India’s early second-innings wicket means the visitors will resume on the third morning still behind, although they have nine wickets in hand and an opportunity to build a sizeable lead if their middle order can negotiate the new ball.
For J&K, the immediate challenge will be to make use of the seam-friendly conditions before the pitch becomes easier to bat on and break into the Rest of India batting order.
Notably, the Irani Cup is being played in Srinagar from October 1 to 5, with J&K appearing in the prestigious fixture as the reigning Ranji Trophy champions. It is the first time the Irani Cup has been staged in Kashmir.
Brief scores: Rest of India 237 & 24/1 (15 overs) trail Jammu & Kashmir 278 (64.2 overs) by 17 runs. J&K: Paras Dogra 75, Lone Nasir Muzaffar 64; Rest of India: Mukesh Choudhary 5/78, Akash Deep 3/43. (GNS)
