Srinagar, Oct 2: Jammu and Kashmir produced a determined batting effort on the second day of the Irani Cup, recovering from early trouble to secure a crucial 41-run first-innings lead over Rest of India at the Sher-e-Kashmir Cricket Stadium here on Friday.
Resuming their innings at 21 for two, J&K continued to lose wickets in the morning session and were reduced to 37 for four, but skipper Paras Dogra stood firm at one end and anchored the innings with a fighting 75 off 143 balls.
Dogra’s composed knock, which included eight fours and a six, provided the stability J&K desperately needed after the early collapse. He was involved in a crucial 101-run fifth-wicket partnership with Abdul Samad, who contributed a valuable 57 off 88 balls.
The pair took the score from 37 for four to 138 before Samad was dismissed, giving J&K’s middle order the platform to rebuild the innings.
Dogra continued to hold the innings together even as wickets fell around him. He eventually departed with J&K on 230 for nine, having played a key role in taking the team from deep trouble to a position of first-innings advantage.
The biggest contribution of the day, however, came from Lone Nasir, who produced an entertaining and highly valuable 64 off 58 balls.
Coming in with J&K at 166 for eight, Nasir counter-attacked the Rest of India bowlers and changed the momentum of the innings. His knock included eight fours and three sixes, with several boundaries coming through powerful pull shots.
Nasir first added 64 runs with Dogra before joining hands with Sunil Kumar to put on 48 runs for the final wicket. Their partnership took J&K from 230 for nine to 278 all out, giving them the 41-run lead.
For Rest of India, Mukesh Choudhary was the standout bowler, finishing with five wickets for 78 runs. Akash Deep claimed three wickets for 43 runs, while Mukesh Kumar took two.
J&K’s innings lasted 64.2 overs, with the lower order’s resistance proving decisive in establishing the first-innings lead.
Rest of India began their second innings cautiously and finished the day at 24 for one in 15 overs, with Sanat Sangwan unbeaten on 10 and Sudip Gharami also on 10. Shikhar Mohan was the lone wicket to fall, dismissed for two by left arm seamer Sunil Kumar.
At stumps, Rest of India were 17 runs behind J&K’s overall first-innings score, setting up an intriguing third day in the five-day contest.
