J&K off to a flying start, rattles Baroda on day 1 of Ranji clash
Srinagar, 30 Jan: Jammu and Kashmir delivered a statement performance on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy face-off against Baroda, showcasing great performance with the bat and firepower with the ball.
Despite an early wobble, J&K’s middle order stitched crucial partnerships to post a competitive 246. Left-arm spinner Ninad Rathva’s five-wicket haul tested their resolve, but the visitors hit back hard with the ball, reducing Baroda to 29/2 by stumps.
With spin already playing a role, J&K’s bowlers will eye early inroads on Day 2 to seize control of the contest.
On Thursday, J&K won the toss and elected to bat first, making three changes, with Nasir Lone, Sahil Lotra, and Sunil Kumar replacing Abdul Samad, Yudhvir Singh, and Vanshaj Sharma.
With J&K facing early blows in the morning session, at a score of 37, both J&K openers were back in the Pavilion. However, Virant Sharma (43) and skipper Paras Dogra put up a valuable partnership of 69 runs. But left-arm spinner Ninad Rathwa dismissed Virant Sharma to give Jammu and Kashmir another blow.
At lunch, J&K had reached 160/4, with Kanhaiya Wadhwan (35*) and Sahil Lotra (9*) at the crease. Post-lunch, Wadhwan led the recovery with a well-crafted half-century, scoring 71 runs forging a crucial 66-run partnership with Nasir Lone (34) for the sixth wicket.
At one stage, J&K were struggling at 166/5, however, the duo’s resilience helped push the score past 200. However, Rathva struck again, dismissing Nasir as he attempted a sweep, triggering a lower-order collapse. The final four wickets added just 14 runs as J&K were bowled out for 246.
For Baroda, Ninad Rathva was the standout performer, claiming 5/43 in 10.3 overs and consistently troubling J&K batters.
In reply, Jammu and Kashmir bowlers showed great discipline, keeping the Baroda batters in check. Off-spinner Sahil Lotra provided the first breakthrough, trapping Nithya Pandya lbw at 22/1. In the last over of the day, part-time spinner Shubham Khajuria struck , dismissing Shashwat Rawat lbw for just 3, reducing Baroda to 29/2 at stumps.
There is support for the spinners on the pitch, given that the second day will be a big opportunity for the Jammu and Kashmir bowlers to restrict Baroda to a low score and give their team the lead.