Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 22: A disciplined and incisive bowling performance by Jammu & Kashmir helped them bundle out hosts Puducherry for 233 runs in their first innings on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy Elite Group-D match at the Siechem Stadium, Puducherry today.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Puducherry suffered an early setback when skipper Neyan Kangayan was dismissed for 9. The left-arm medium pace of Sunil Kumar drew an edge, safely pouched by wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan. Despite the early loss, opener Ajay Rohera anchored the innings with a gritty knock of 94 runs off 211 balls, striking eight boundaries and showing immense patience at the crease.
Rohera received brief support from JJ Yadav (33), Aman Khan (25), Paras Patnaparkhe (20) and Ragavan (16), but none could convert their starts into substantial scores as the J&K bowlers maintained relentless pressure throughout the day.
Sunil Kumar and Yudhvir Singh led the bowling attack with three wickets each, effectively dismantling the Puducherry batting line-up. Left-arm spinner Vanshaj Sharma chipped in with two crucial wickets, while Aquib Nabi and Abid Mushtaq claimed one wicket apiece.
At stumps, Jammu & Kashmir reached 0 for 0, with openers Sunil Kumar and Shubham Khajuria safely negotiating the final overs and looking set to capitalize on the strong bowling performance.
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