Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
Left-arm pacer Mukesh Choudhary led the Rest of India bowling attack with a five-wicket haul as Jammu and Kashmir were bowled out for 278 on the second day of the Irani Cup here on Friday, giving the visitors a slender 41-run first-innings deficit.
Rest of India, who were dismissed for 237 on the opening day, ended the second day’s play at 24 for one in 15 overs in their second innings, leaving them 17 runs behind J&K.
Fast bowlers dominated proceedings for the second successive day, with the J&K batters struggling to build partnerships against a disciplined Rest of India pace attack.
J&K had already lost two wickets in the seven overs bowled before stumps on the opening day. They resumed their innings under pressure but were eventually bowled out for 278, with Paras Dogra (75), Abdul Samad (57) and Lone Nasir Muzaffar (64) providing the bulk of the resistance.
Choudhary gave Rest of India an early advantage by claiming two wickets in quick succession.
He first breached Shubham Khajuria’s defence with a sharp in-swinger that squeezed through the batter’s inside edge and crashed into the stumps.
He then dismissed Qamran Iqbal, who was caught by skipper Rishabh Pant after a sharp bouncer climbed towards the leg side and brushed the batter’s glove.
Iqbal opted for a DRS review, believing the ball had missed the glove, but replays showed a clear spike at the point of contact, leaving J&K struggling at 37 for four.
Choudhary later added Kanhaiya Wadhawan (12) to his tally after the batter edged a delivery angling away from him to R Smaran at first slip.
With J&K in trouble, veteran Paras Dogra and Abdul Samad launched a counter-attack, adding 101 runs for the fifth wicket to revive the innings.
Dogra struck six fours and a six in his 75 off 143 balls, while Samad hit five fours and a six during his 57 off 88 balls.
The partnership was eventually broken by Mukesh Kumar, who had Samad caught by Sanat Sangwan after the batter reached for a delivery outside his off stump.
J&K then slipped further as wickets fell in quick succession. Abid Mushtaq was dismissed for a duck by Mukesh Kumar, while Sahil Lotra (2) fell to Akash Deep, who finished with figures of 3/43.
J&K had slumped to 166 for eight before Muzaffar produced an attacking counter-punch.
Coming in at No. 9, Lone Nasir Muzaffar struck eight fours and three sixes in a rapid 64 off 58 balls.
He first added 64 runs with Dogra for the ninth wicket, before putting together another valuable 48-run partnership with Sunil Kumar, who remained unbeaten on two.
Muzaffar’s aggressive innings helped J&K push their total to 278 and secure a first-innings lead of 41 runs.
When Rest of India began their second innings, Sunil Kumar struck early by dismissing Shikhar Mohan for two, leaving the visitors at 24 for one at the close.
Sanat Sangwan was unbeaten on 10, while Sudip Kumar Gharami was not out on 10.
Rest of India: 237 & 24/1 in 15 overs (Sanat Sangwan 10 not out, Sudip Kumar Gharami 10 not out; Sunil Kumar 1/9) trail Jammu and Kashmir: 278 in 64.2 overs (Paras Dogra 75, Abdul Samad 57, Lone Nasir Muzaffar 64; Mukesh Choudhary 5/78, Akash Deep 3/43) by 17 runs.
