Pundir slams ton, Bengal sets for 1st innings lead

Excelsior Sports Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 24: J&K skipper Shubham Pundir slammed a magnificent ton, while wicketkeeper batsman Kanhaiya Wadhawan and all-rounder Lone Nasir Muzaffar scored valuable fifties but that was not enough to save J&K from conceding a vital first innings lead to Bengal, which is all set to gain it in the ongoing CK Nayudu Trophy match at Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, New Delhi today.
Earlier, resuming from an overnight score of 121/3, skipper Pundir and Wadhawan played sensibly to take the score to 180 in 55.4 overs, before Wadhawan was dismissed at his individual score of 62 runs off 110 balls. Shubham continued his brilliance and alongwith Lone Nasir Muzaffar (54) and Abid Mushtaq power-packed (35) guided J&K to 375/9 in 123.5 overs, still trailing by 132 runs with just one wicket in hand. Shubham scored 121 off 258 balls, studded with 17 fours and one six.
For Bengal, Mohammad Kaif took 3 wickets, while Kazi Junaid Saifi bagged 2. Pradipta Pramanik, Arka Sarkar and Kaushik Maity claimed one wicket each.