Srinagar: Defending champions Jammu and Kashmir made a strong start with the ball as medium pacer Rohit Sharma claimed five wickets to dismiss Madhya Pradesh for 196 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match here on Sunday.
Jammu and Kashmir, who elected to field, were 3/1 in three overs at stumps, trailing by 193 runs after losing opener Shubham Khajuria for a duck.
Rohit returned figures of five for 36 from 21.2 overs, while left-arm medium pacer Sunil Kumar took four wickets for 69 runs.
Madhya Pradesh were bowled out in 74.2 overs at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium.
MP captain Shubham Sharma was the mainstay of the innings, scoring 79 off 174 balls with eight fours.
He held the innings together after the visitors lost three wickets for 41 runs, including openers Yash Dubey (4) and Harsh Gawli (12), and wicketkeeper Himanshu Mantri (17).
Rohit accounted for Gawli and Mantri before dismissing Chanchal Rathore, who made 33 off 75 balls, and Atharva Mahajan, who was out for a duck.
His fifth wicket came when he dismissed Shubham, ending the captain’s resistance and the MP innings.
Rathore and Shubham had helped steady the innings with a partnership that took the score past 100. However, MP lost wickets at regular intervals thereafter.
Aryan Pandey contributed 35 off 60 deliveries, striking six fours, but found little support from the lower order.
Sunil Kumar removed India all-rounder Saransh Jain, Pandey, India quick Avesh Khan and Ravi Kiran, while Auqib Nabi dismissed the last recognised resistance, accounting for Ravi Kiran.
Jammu and Kashmir’s reply got off to a shaky start when Avesh dismissed Khajuria for a duck in the third over. At stumps, Qamran Iqbal was unbeaten on three and Vanshaj Sharma is yet to score.
Jammu and Kashmir are seeking to begin their title defence on a positive note after winning their maiden Ranji Trophy crown last season.
Vidarbha build strong platform against Puducherry
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Vidarbha made a strong start against Puducherry in Nagpur, reaching 300 for five in 85 overs on the opening day.
The hosts recovered from early setbacks to put themselves in a commanding position, with Yash Rathod and captain Akshay Wadkar among the batters contributing to the recovery.
Vidarbha had elected to bat first and will look to convert the platform into a substantial first-innings total on day two.
Uttar Pradesh steady after early wickets against Bihar
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Uttar Pradesh reached 195 for three against Bihar at the Rajgir International Cricket Stadium after being asked to bat. UP lost three wickets but managed to keep the innings moving through contributions from the middle-order.
Madhav Kaushik was among the batters who helped stabilise the innings, while the visitors will aim to build on their position when play resumes. Bihar will look to make further inroads early on day two.
Baroda make progress against Goa
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Baroda finished the opening day at 204 for three against Goa at the Panjim Gymkhana Ground after winning the toss and opting to bat. The visitors negotiated the opening day without losing too many wickets and will look to build a bigger total in their first innings.
Goa, meanwhile, will aim to break the developing partnerships and restrict Baroda’s scoring on the second day.
Brief Scores
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At Srinagar: Madhya Pradesh 196 all out in 74.2 overs (Shubham Sharma 79, Aryan Pandey 35; Rohit Sharma 5/36, Sunil Kumar 4/69) vs Jammu and Kashmir: 3/1 in 3 overs (Qamran Iqbal 3 not out; Avesh Khan 1/1).
At Nagpur: Vidarbha 300/5 in 85 overs (Yash Rathod 131 not out, Akshay Wadkar 112 not out; Gaurav Yadav 2/61, Vijai Raja 2/47) vs Puducherry.
At Rajgir: Uttar Pradesh 287/3 in 84 overs (Madhav Kaushik 90 not out, Rinku Singh 56 not out; Suraj Kashyap 2 wickets) vs Bihar.
At Panaji: Baroda 204/3 in 85 overs (Shivalik Sharma 62, Shashwat Rawat 40 not out, Deepak Hooda 38 not out; Mohit Redkar 1/55, Ruthvik Naik 1/28, Darshan Misal 1/16) vs Goa.
