Rest of India were 155 for 7 at tea in Srinagar, and Smaran’s 68 dragged them to 237 on day one of the Irani Cup

At lunch on the first day of Srinagar’s first Irani Cup, Rest of India were 106 for 2 and Shikhar Mohan was on 60. By tea they were 155 for 7. Jammu and Kashmir took five wickets for 49 in the afternoon session at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, and although R Smaran dragged the visitors to 237, the Ranji Trophy champions had the better of the opening day.

The day did end with a wobble. J&K lost two wickets in seven overs before stumps and closed on 21 for 2, 216 behind.

Sunil Kumar’s 20 overs cost 36

Paras Dogra won the toss and put Rest of India in on a green surface that still had the morning damp in it. Rishabh Pant said he would have bowled too. J&K were without Auqib Nabi, who took 60 wickets in their Ranji title run. He made his ODI debut for India against West Indies in Guwahati on Wednesday, so Umar Nazir and Lone Nasir came into the XI.

The bowler who held it together was Sunil Kumar. He bowled 20.1 overs, nine of them maidens, and finished with 3 for 36. He got the first wicket in the fourth over, when Sanat Sangwan edged behind for 1, He later had Manav Suthar lbw and bowled Mukesh Choudhary to finish the innings.

Shikhar Mohan was the one Rest of India batter who looked settled in the morning. He reached fifty off 78 balls with nine fours and put on 76 for the third wicket with Sarfaraz Khan before Lone Nasir had him caught behind for 60 soon after lunch.

Pant’s stay lasted 36 balls

The slide started there. Sarfaraz had battled to 45 off 97 when Umar Nazir found his edge, and two overs later Pant was gone too. He had made 10 off 36 when he came down the pitch to Umar Nazir and tried to loft him over cover, and the leading edge went straight to Qamran Iqbal.

Saransh Jain was bowled by Sahil Lotra for 5, Suthar went lbw to Sunil Kumar on review, and Rest of India had gone from 108 for 3 to 155 for 7.

Smaran rescued the innings

R Smaran was the one batter who scored at a decent lick. He went to fifty off 69 balls and finished with 68 off 83, with eight fours and a six. Akash Deep hit 22 off 24 in a stand of 39 for the eighth wicket, and Smaran then took the ninth-wicket stand with Choudhary to 43, most of it on his own, before he was caught by Abdul Samad off Lone Nasir from the last ball of the 68th over.

Choudhary was bowled by Sunil Kumar next ball, and Rest of India were all out in 68.1 overs. Lone Nasir took 3 for 59 and Umar Nazir 2 for 65, though the pair gave away 11 no-balls between them, which J&K will not enjoy reading about.

Two down before the close

The new ball did some work for Rest of India too. Shubham Pundir was caught behind off Choudhary for 1, a decision Rest of India got on review, and Umar Nazir, sent in at No. 3, edged Akash Deep to Pant for 4. Qamran Iqbal, who made an unbeaten 160 in the Ranji final, was 12 not out at the close with Shubham Khajuria yet to score.

Dogra, Abdul Samad and Kanhaiya Wadhawan are still to come. At lunch, 237 would have looked like a poor return for Rest of India. Whether it still does depends on how those three bat on the second morning.

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