Srinagar, Feb 6: Jammu and Kashmir’s batting faltered against a disciplined Madhya Pradesh bowling attack on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy Elite quarterfinal, as the side was bundled out for 194 after being put in to bat at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Thursday.
After winning the toss, Madhya Pradesh opted to field first, a decision that paid rich dividends as their bowlers exploited the conditions expertly to keep J&K under constant pressure. Except for opener Shubham Khajuria, the J&K batting lineup failed to cope with the probing spells from the MP bowlers.
Khajuria stood firm amid the collapse, top-scoring with a patient 60 off 140 deliveries, anchoring the innings even as wickets tumbled at the other end. However, he found little support from the rest of the top and middle order, with J&K slipping from a steady position to a precarious one.
Yawar Hassan (13), Shubham Singh Pundir (1) and skipper P K Dogra (33) were unable to convert their starts, while Abdul Samad (16) and Kanhaiya Wadhawan (7) also failed to make an impact. The fall of wickets at regular intervals prevented J&K from building any substantial partnerships, with the highest stand being the 79-run partnership between Khajuria and Dogra.
Just when the innings appeared to be folding cheaply, lower-order batter Yudhvir Singh injected some urgency with a counter-attacking knock of 41 off just 35 balls. His innings, laced with three fours and three sixes, helped J&K cross the 190-run mark and gave the side something to bowl at.
For Madhya Pradesh, Kuldeep Sen was the standout performer, returning impressive figures of 5 for 66, while Kumar Kartikeya Singh claimed three wickets to dismantle the J&K middle order. Aryan Pandey also chipped in with two wickets as MP’s bowling unit worked cohesively.
At stumps on Day 1, Madhya Pradesh were 28 without loss in their first innings, with openers Harsh Gawali (8*) and Yash Dubey (14*) negotiating the final overs safely. MP trail by 166 runs with all ten wickets in hand, firmly placing themselves in control of the quarterfinal going into Day 2.
