Top-order woes leave J&K trailing on Day 2

Srinagar, Jan 23: Jammu and Kashmir’s familiar top-order concerns resurfaced on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy Elite encounter against Pondicherry, as they ended the day at 150 for 6 in reply to Pondicherry’s first-innings total of 233, still trailing by 83 runs with four wickets in hand at stumps.

The visitors began their first innings on a cautious note but suffered early setbacks, losing wickets at regular intervals and failing to build momentum. Skipper Paras Dogra endured another disappointing outing, managing just three runs, while Yawer Hassan could not replicate the form he displayed during the Vijay Hazare Trophy, falling for eight.

Young batter Dikshant Kundal, given an opportunity at the senior level, showed patience and temperament, occupying the crease for 93 balls but could only muster 17 runs, highlighting J&K’s struggle to convert time at the wicket into meaningful scores.

Earlier, Sunil Kumar fell cheaply for four, while Shubham Khajuria offered some resistance with 46 off 107 balls, anchoring the innings during a difficult phase. However, his dismissal triggered another mini-collapse that kept J&K under pressure.

The silver lining for J&K came through Abdul Samad, one of their most consistent performers this Ranji season, who remained unbeaten on 40, looking assured at the crease. He was well supported by wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan, who on his return from injury scored a fighting 30 before being dismissed late in the day.

Despite brief rain interruptions on Day 2, Pondicherry maintained control by bowling with discipline and exploiting the conditions to prevent J&K from gaining momentum.

With Abid Mushtaq alongside Samad at stumps and all-rounder Auqib Nabi yet to bat, J&K will hope for some lower-order resistance and quick runs on Day 3 to erase the deficit and push for a slender first-innings lead.

As the match heads into the third day, the focus will firmly be on whether J&K can stretch their batting deep enough to gain an advantage over Pondicherry or remain on the back foot in a tightly poised contest.