Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir recovered from 37 for 4 to take a 41-run first-innings lead over Rest of India on the second day of the Irani Cup, with skipper Paras Dogra, Abdul Samad and Lone Nasir Muzaffar producing the key contributions at Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium on Friday.
J&K were bowled out for 278 in 64.2 overs after RoI had made 237 in their first innings. Lone Nasir finished unbeaten on 64 from 58 balls before he was the last man dismissed, while Dogra made 75 and Samad scored 57.
The result was a significant turnaround for J&K, who had resumed the day at 21 for 2 and quickly slipped to 37 for 4.
RoI's Mukesh Choudhary was the chief destroyer during the early stages of the innings. He removed Shubham Khajuria for 4 and Qamran Iqbal for 24 in the morning before returning later to claim Kanhaiya Wadhawan and Dogra.
Choudhary finished with five wickets for 78 runs from 19 overs. His first breakthrough came in the 10th over. Choudhary produced an inswinger on a good length that nipped back through the gap between Khajuria's bat and pad. The ball clipped the top of middle stump, leaving Khajuria bowled for 4.
Two overs later, Choudhary had Iqbal caught behind for 24. Iqbal reviewed the decision, but UltraEdge showed a clear spike off the top glove before the ball carried through to wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
J&K were 37 for 4 at that point and in danger of conceding a substantial first-innings deficit. Dogra and Samad changed the course of the innings.
The experienced and evergreen Dogra dug in while Samad attacked when the bowlers offered him scoring opportunities. Their partnership carried J&K through the morning and into the afternoon, with Samad reaching his 12th first-class fifty.
The pair added 100 runs before Samad was dismissed for 57 off 88 balls. Mukesh Kumar found a slight nip away from the right-hander, who drove with hard hands and edged the ball toward gully. Sanat Sangwan took the catch low to his right.
Dogra continued the fight after Samad's departure. He brought up his 25th first-class fifty and eventually made 75 from 143 balls, with six fours and a six.
RoI fought back after lunch. Choudhary removed Kanhaiya Wadhawan for 12 before Mukesh Kumar dismissed Abid Mushtaq for a two-ball duck. Akash Deep then had Sahil Lotra caught at gully for 2.
Dogra remained at the crease as wickets fell around him, but Choudhary finally ended his resistance in the 60th over. A short ball climbed on Dogra as he attempted a pull, producing a top edge that Mukesh Kumar caught. Dogra's 75 had come from 143 balls and included six fours and a six. With J&K at 205 for 8, Lone Nasir took the attack to the RoI bowlers.
The right-hander struck boundaries and cleared the ropes three times during an aggressive 58-ball innings. He reached his half-century with a six off a Mukesh Kumar no-ball and continued attacking as J&K moved past RoI's total.
Nasir and Sunil Kumar added valuable runs before Akash Deep returned for the final over. Nasir struck the first delivery for five wides, then survived another ball before Deep produced the decisive delivery. A full inswinger came back into middle stump. Nasir stayed leg-side and missed his flick, with the ball striking him in front of the stumps.
He reviewed the lbw decision, but ball-tracking returned three reds. Nasir was dismissed for 64 off 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes, ending J&K's innings at 278.
Akash Deep finished with 2 for 43 from 14 overs, while Mukesh Kumar took 2 for 55. Choudhary's five-wicket haul was the standout return for RoI.
The day's play followed a closely contested opening day. RoI were dismissed for 237 on Thursday, with Ravichandran Smaran top-scoring with 68 and Shikhar Mohan making 60. J&K's Sunil Kumar and Lone Nasir Muzaffar took three wickets each, while Umar Nazir Mir claimed two.
J&K then lost two wickets before stumps. Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Shubham Pundir for 1, while Akash Deep removed Umar Nazir for 4. J&K ended the first day at 21 for 2, 216 runs behind.
On Friday morning, Choudhary struck twice more to leave J&K at 37 for 4 before Dogra and Samad began the recovery. J&K eventually turned that precarious position into a 41-run first-innings lead.
Brief scores: RoI 237 all out; Jammu and Kashmir 278 all out in 64.2 overs (Paras Dogra 75, Lone Nasir Muzaffar 64, Abdul Samad 57; Mukesh Choudhary 5-78). J&K lead by 41 runs.