Srinagar, Oct 02 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir fought back from 37 for four to take a 41-run first-innings lead over Rest of India on the second day of the Irani Cup at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium here on Friday, with the hosts bowled out for 278 before the visitors reached 24 for one at stumps.
Resuming their first innings at 21 for two, J&K lost two more wickets in the morning session and were reduced to 37 for four before captain Paras Dogra and Abdul Samad launched a strong fightback.
As per the details obtained by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the Dogra-Samad pair stitched together a 101-run partnership to revive the hosts’ innings after the early collapse.
J&K reached 70 for four at tea after 22 overs, with Dogra and Samad holding the innings together following the dismissals of Shubham Khajuria for four and Qamran Iqbal for 24.
The hosts continued their fight after tea and eventually reached 278 all out, securing a 41-run first-innings lead over Rest of India, who were bowled out for 237 on the opening day.
Lone Nasir Muzaffar provided the late impetus for J&K with a valuable 64 off 58 balls, helping the hosts finish strongly after they had been in trouble at different stages of the innings. Mukesh Choudhary was the pick of the Rest of India bowlers, claiming five wickets, while J&K managed to move ahead despite losing wickets at regular intervals.
In their second innings, Rest of India lost Shikhar Mohan for two, but Sudip Kumar Gharami and Sanat Sangwan remained unbeaten on 10 each as the visitors reached 24 for one in 15 overs at stumps, trailing J&K by 17 runs.
Earlier, Rest of India were dismissed for 237 in their first innings, with Smaran Ravichandran top-scoring with 68, while Shikhar Mohan made 60 and Sarfaraz Khan contributed 45. J&K’s Sunil Kumar and Lone Nasir Muzaffar claimed three wickets each, while Umar Nazir Mir picked up two wickets.
Meanwhile, the match also continued to draw considerable interest among cricket fans in Srinagar, with Rest of India captain Rishabh Pant interacting with spectators at the historic venue. At the venue local fans took selfies with the India wicketkeeper-batter during the Irani Cup.
JKCA official Salman Nizami, meanwhile called the ongoing Irani Cup as the first tournament of its level in Srinagar after 1983 and 1986, pointing to the presence of players such as Pant, Sarfaraz Khan, Abdul Samad and Paras Dogra. He said said spectators are turning up in large numbers to watch the matches.
The Irani Cup, being played from October 1 to 5, is being hosted at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium in Srinagar, with 2025-26 Ranji Trophy champions Jammu and Kashmir taking on Rest of India.
Day 2 score: J&K 278 all out; Rest of India 24/1 (15 overs), trail by 17 runs—(KNO)