J&K Bowled Out for 120, MP Take 135-run Lead

KO photo by Abid Bhat Srinagar- Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir suffered a batting collapse to be bowled out for 120 in their first innings before Madhya Pradesh reached 59 for four in their second essay to take a 135-run overall lead on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match here Monday.

J&K, who had dismissed Madhya Pradesh for 196 on the opening day, could not capitalise on their impressive bowling effort as their innings folded in 46.3 overs. Wicketkeeper-batter Kanhaiya Wadhawan remained unbeaten on 35 off 63 balls, hitting three fours and a six, while opener Qamran Iqbal made 31 off 64 deliveries.

Shubham Pundir contributed 20 and Abdul Samad scored 17, but the defending champions lost wickets at regular intervals. They slipped to seven for two before Qamran and Pundir added 34 runs for the third wicket. Their dismissals at team scores of 41 and 62 respectively triggered another slide, with J&K losing their last four wickets for 32 runs.

For Madhya Pradesh, pacers Avesh Khan and Aryan Pandey claimed three wickets apiece, while Akshay Sharma took two for 18 runs in 10 overs. Ravi Kiran picked up one wicket. Madhya Pradesh then lost Harsh Gawli (11), Himanshu Mantri (0), Yash Dubey (22) and Chanchal Rathore (8) in their second innings.

Auqib Nabi and Sunil Kumar took two wickets each to keep J&K in the contest. At stumps, MP captain Shubham Sharma was unbeaten on 15, while Aryan Pandey was yet to open his account. Earlier, Rohit Sharma had starred with the ball on the opening day, taking five wickets for 36 runs in 21.2 overs as Madhya Pradesh were dismissed for 196.

Sunil Kumar claimed four wickets for 69 runs. Baroda in command against Goa Baroda declared their first innings at 472 for eight before Goa ended the second day at five for one, trailing by 467 runs in Panaji. Goa lost Suyash Prabhudessai for a duck off the first ball of their innings, with Mahesh Pithiya providing the breakthrough.

Shivendra Bhujbal was unbeaten on five and Darshan Misal was on nought at stumps. The substantial first-innings total put Baroda in a strong position, leaving Goa with a considerable deficit to overcome. The hosts will need a significant batting effort on the third day to prevent Baroda from tightening their grip on the contest.

Vidarbha build lead over Puducherry Vidarbha posted 428 in their first innings and reduced Puducherry to 107 for one at stumps on the second day in Nagpur. Puducherry were still 321 runs behind, but their batting showed signs of resistance after an early setback. Ritesh Gudge was batting on 59 off 122 balls, having struck 10 fours, while Nikhil Gangta had made 32 not out from 105 deliveries.

The pair had put together an unbroken 93-run stand for the second wicket, helping Puducherry recover after Neyan Shyam Kangayan fell to Harsh Dubey for 10. Puducherry’s remaining batters will look to build on the partnership and narrow the deficit when play resumes. Uttar Pradesh pile up 540 against Bihar Uttar Pradesh made 540 in their first innings before Bihar reached 44 for two at stumps on the second day of their Group A match at Rajgir.

Bihar trailed by 496 runs, leaving them with a substantial task to avoid conceding a sizeable first-innings advantage. Piyush Singh was unbeaten on 16, while Amod Yadav was yet to open his account when play ended for the day. Bihar lost Ayush Loharuka for a duck.

Karan Sharma had taken two wickets for Uttar Pradesh, who will look to exploit their commanding position, as Bihar attempt to build a response on the third day.