Srinagar, Oct 4 (JKNS): Jammu and Kashmir began their chase of 279 runs against Rest of India in the Irani Cup on Sunday, reaching 17 without loss after five overs in the opening session of Day 4 and requiring another 262 runs for victory.
Qamran Iqbal and Shubham Khajuria opened the innings for J&K and negotiated the opening spell without losing a wicket. At the end of five overs, Iqbal was unbeaten on 6 off 16 deliveries, including one boundary, while Khajuria was batting on 11 off 14 balls with one four, as per details available with news agency JKNS.
The opening pair has put together 17 runs from 30 deliveries. Rest of India pacer Mukesh Choudhary has bowled two overs in the early stages, conceding just five runs without taking a wicket.
J&K will now look to build a solid opening partnership and steadily reduce the target, while Rest of India will be aiming to strike early and put pressure on the hosts’ middle order.
Earlier, Rest of India were dismissed for 319 in their second innings, leaving J&K with a target of 279. The visitors had threatened to establish a much larger lead before the J&K bowling attack produced a strong fightback towards the end of the innings.
Sunil Kumar completed the final two dismissals for J&K, finishing with three wickets for 56 runs. His final wicket was particularly significant as he removed Ravichandran Smaran, who had produced a superb century to give Rest of India a strong position.
Smaran was the standout batter for Rest of India in the second innings, scoring 135 runs. His innings came after he had contributed 68 in the first innings and proved instrumental in helping the visitors recover from a middle-order collapse.
The biggest resistance came through a crucial 113-run partnership between Smaran and Mukesh Choudhary. The partnership frustrated the J&K bowlers and pushed Rest of India’s overall lead towards a challenging figure.
Apart from Sunil Kumar, Umar Nazir and Sahil Lotra also made important contributions with the ball. Nazir claimed three wickets for 92 runs, while Lotra finished with three wickets for 71 runs as J&K eventually managed to dismiss Rest of India for 319.
J&K had entered the second innings with the advantage of a 41-run first-innings lead. Rest of India were earlier bowled out for 237, following which J&K posted 278 in their first innings to secure the lead.
The 41-run advantage meant that Rest of India needed to build a sizeable second-innings total to put J&K under pressure. Despite Smaran’s century and the partnership with Choudhary, J&K’s bowlers managed to restrict the visitors to 319, setting up a target of 279.
The hosts now have a significant opportunity to complete a successful chase, but the task remains demanding with more than 260 runs still required. J&K’s openers will be crucial in providing a steady start, while the middle order will have to cope with the quality pace attack of Rest of India.
With J&K at 17/0 after five overs, the hosts need 262 more runs for victory, with 77 overs remaining in the first session’s current calculation. The opening partnership will be particularly important as J&K look to maintain momentum and avoid early wickets in the chase. (JKNS)
