Jammu: As many as 16 wickets fell on the opening day as visitors Hyderabad were left reeling at 88/6 after bundling out Jammu and Kashmir for 170 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group D match here on Sunday.
Pacer Auqib Nabi continued his rich vein of form to return 3/30 as Hyderabad, yet to lose a match this season, were trailing by 82 runs at stumps.
Reduced to 32/5 while batting first, J&K were bolstered by a stroke-filled 57 (49 balls, 9x4s) from Abid Mushtaq at No. 7, who put on 60 runs for the sixth wicket with Abdul Samad and another 47 for the seventh wicket with Sahil Lotra.
Hyderabad bowlers Kartikeya Kak (3/48) and Tanay Thyagarajan (3/19) did well to give their side the advantage, but a poor response with the bat undid their effort.
Nabi struck on the third ball to remove Tanmay Agarwal (0) and Abhirath Reddy (5), followed by Nitish Reddy (3), who was caught by Umar Nazir.
Skipper Rahul Singh Gahlaut dropped anchor at one end but he fell for 48.
In Mumbai, both Musheer Khan and comeback batter Akhil Herwadkar missed their centuries while Siddhesh Lad made 80 not out (132 balls, 9x4s, 1x6s), as the hosts reached 317/3 against Pondicherry.
India batter Sarfaraz Khan was batting on 29.
Playing their first match of the season at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai made merry on a flat pitch on which fresh green grass on the first day morning led Pondicherry skipper Sagar Udeshi, who had played cricket in the city in his early days, to field.
Udeshi’s decision proved wrong as Mumbai raced to a brisk start with openers Ayush Mhatre (36) and Musheer putting on a half-century stand in the first 10 overs.
Both Mhatre and Musheer pounced on every opportunity to score as Pondicherry bowlers struggled for control.
But the young Mhatre paid the price of playing one shot too many when he committed on the front foot to poke one outside the off-stump and was caught behind by another Mumbai-born player in the opposition camp, Siddhant Aadhhathrao off Abin Mathew.
The dismissal brought Herwadkar at the crease and the left-hander, replacing Ajinkya Rahane who was unavailable for this game, put on 119 runs with Musheer.
Musheer (84 off 102 balls, 11x4s) was by far the best batter on the day for Mumbai as his crisp hits, particularly drives down the ground, stood out. He looked set for a second consecutive ton but Sabhay Chadha had him caught by Paras Ratnaparkhe for 84.
Herwadkar, playing his first game for Mumbai since 2018, showed resolve to play an impactful innings even though he was dropped twice. While there was no century in the end for the left-hander, he did well to make 86 off 188 balls with 11 fours.
Herwadkar said he was nervous on his comeback but grew in confidence as the innings progressed.
“I was a little nervous. I won’t lie. I was playing the Ranji Trophy in Bombay after a long time. But the way Musheer was playing on the wicket, it gave me confidence,” he told the media.
“I decided that the more I play, the better it would be for me,” Herwadkar added.
At Rajsamand, centuries from opener Sachin Yadav (130) and Kunal Singh (103) led Rajasthan to 263/4 at the end of play against Delhi.
Yadav struck 17 fours and two sixes to make 130 while Rathore played a perfect second fiddle, making 102 off 198 balls (11 fours, 1 six). Both the batters fell towards the end of play as Delhi made crucial breakthroughs.
Chhattisgarh also enjoyed a successful day out while visiting the Amtar Cricket Ground in Himachal Pradesh’s Nadaun, reaching 319/3 against the hosts.
Anuj Tiwary scored a 260-ball 162 (20x4s, 3x6s) with opener Ayush Pandey making 59. Sanjeet Desai was batting on 76.
Brief scores:
At Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir 170 in 47.1 overs (Abdul Samad 34, Abid Mushtaq 57, Sahil Lotra 36; Tanay Thyagarajan 3/19) lead Hyderabad 88/6 in 28 overs (Rahul Singh Gahlaut 48, Auqib Nabi 3/30) by 82 runs.
At Mumbai: Mumbai 317/3 in 84 overs (Musheer Khan 84, Akhil Herwadkar 86, Siddhesh Lad 80 not out; Abin Mathew 1/63) vs Pondicherry.
At Rajsamand: Rajasthan 263/4 in 84.2 overs (Sachin Yadav 130, Kunal Singh Rathore 102; Simarjeet Singh 3/56) vs Delhi.
At Nadaun: Chhattisgarh 319/3 in 87 overs (Anuj Tiwary 162, Sanjeet Desai 76 not out; Divesh Sharma 1/55) vs Himachal Pradesh.
