Ranji Trophy Final: Dogra, Wadhawan carry J&K to 380/4 at Lunch on Day 2
Hubli, Feb 25
Captain Paras Dogra and Kanhaiya Wadhawan rescued the team after back-to-back wickets as Jammu & Kashmir reached 380/4 at Lunch on Day 2 against the eight-time champions Karnataka in the Ranji Trophy Final here at the Hubli Cricket Ground on Wednesday.
After being pushed back by J&K on day 1, Devdutt Padikkal-led Karnataka made a comeback at the start of day 2 as the pacers made good use of the swing and the bounce as they created chances at the start.
Karnataka finally got the breakthrough in the 98th over when over night batter Shubham Pundir was trapped by Vidyadhar Patil and got caught at mid-wicket after scored 121 runs laced with 12 fours and two sixes. In the following over, Abdul Samad (61) became Prasidh Krishna's third victim.
Then, captain Dogra, who had retired hurt on day 1, returned to the crease and stabilised the innings along with wicketkeeper Wadhawan, who was taking off the pressure by hitting the fours and continuously rotating the innings.
Dogra was also involved in an altercation in the 101st over. Shortly after edging a delivery from Krishna to the boundary, he had a verbal exchange with Karnataka substitute fielder K.V. Aneesh at silly point.
The skipper moved towards Aneesh and headbutted him while still wearing his helmet, prompting immediate intervention from players and match officials. Karnataka's senior player Mayank Agarwal stepped in to separate the two as umpires moved to defuse the situation.
Despite the altercation, Paras continued to steer the innings as he remained unbeaten at 36, while Wadhwan remained not out at 45 as J&K are nearing 400 and looking good to post a score in excess of 500.
Brief Scores: Jammu & Kashmir 380/4 (Shubham Pundir 121, Yawer Hassan 88, Abdul Samad 61; Prasidh Krishna 3-59, Vidyadhar Patil 1-85) against Karnataka at Lunch on Day 2.
— IANS
Reader Comments
The headbutting incident is completely unacceptable, regardless of the pressure. Captain Paras Dogra should be setting an example. The BCCI needs to take strict action to maintain the spirit of the game. Great batting, poor behavior.
Shubham Pundir's century was the foundation! 121 runs in a final is massive. J&K cricket has come such a long way. It's heartening to see teams from all regions competing at the highest level of domestic cricket. More power to them!
Kanhaiya Wadhawan's innings is so crucial. Rotating the strike and hitting boundaries to take the pressure off Dogra. That's smart cricket. J&K looking good for 500+ now. Karnataka's bowlers have a huge task after lunch.
As a Karnataka fan, it's painful to see our bowlers toil. Prasidh Krishna getting 3 wickets is the only positive. Need early wickets after lunch or this game will slip away. The pitch seems to have settled down nicely for batting.
The real test for J&K will be when they bowl. Karnataka's batting lineup is very strong. But you have to give credit where it's due - posting 380/4 in a final against the 8-time champions is a phenomenal effort.
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