Excelsior Sports Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 31: J&K batters performed excellently at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Stadium Amtar today and are in search of a big win over Himachal Pradesh to storm into the Ranji Trophy knockouts for the second consecutive season.
Abid Mushtaq and Kanhaiya Wadhawan carved out maiden centuries, mirroring Shubham Pundir’s sublime effort, while Yudhvir Singh Charak and Aquib Nabi bludgeoned fifties to amplify the fireworks from Abdul Samad and Captain Paras Dogra in an unrelenting assault.
Resuming from an overnight 387/5, J&K piled on to a monumental 771 all out, seizing a whopping first-innings lead of 603 runs-the highest-ever team total in their Ranji history, eclipsing the previous mark of 624 against Services in 2015-16.
Abid’s explosive 177 (207 balls, 18 fours, 6 sixes) set the tone with ruthless power, complemented by Kanhaiya’s gritty 110 (158 balls, 7 fours, 1 six). Yudhvir (65) and Aquib (54) piled on the pressure, building on day 2’s highlights: Pundir’s elegant 165, Samad’s 61 and Dogra’s 54.
Himachal’s bowlers fought back valiantly-Rohit D Kumar claiming 4 wickets, Divesh R Sharma 3 and Aryaman 2-but couldn’t stem the tide.
In their second innings, Himachal staggered to 26/2, still 577 runs adrift with 8 wickets intact and a final day remaining. Mridul Surroch (9) and Pukhraj Mann (10) resisted at the crease, but Aquib Nabi struck early, dismissing AR Kalsi (2) and Ankush Bains (5).
“Continuing day 2’s dominance, J&K’s batters owned day 3 in their final league clash Vs HP-securing knockouts and shattering our Ranji scoring record. Well done, team. Stay laser-focused: We Can, We Will,” tweeted Brig Anil Gupta, JKCA Member-Administration.
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