Rest of India were 197 for 8, and Smaran’s unbeaten 126 has them 265 ahead in Srinagar
Ravichandran Smaran rescued Rest of India for the second time in the Irani Cup, but Jammu and Kashmir still hold the first-innings lead going into day four.
Oct 3, 2026
Rest of India had lost three wickets for three runs to Umar Nazir and three more to Sahil Lotra, and were 197 for 8 when the ninth-wicket pair came together. Ravichandran Smaran then made 126 not out off 131 balls, Mukesh Choudhary kept him company, and by stumps on Saturday they were 306 for 8 and 265 runs ahead of Jammu and Kashmir.
It was the second time in the match that the left-hander had dragged his side out of trouble. On the first day he came in with Rest of India sliding and made 68 off 83 balls to take them to 237. This time he went much further, reaching his hundred off 113 balls and finishing the day with 15 fours and five sixes.
Three wickets for three runs
Resuming on 24 for 1, Rest of India spent most of the first two sessions grinding. Sanat Sangwan took 141 balls over his fifty and was eventually out for 55 off 160, caught behind off Umar Nazir with the score on 128. That was the start of the collapse. Saransh Jain was bowled by Nazir for 25 two runs later, and Sarfaraz Khan lasted five balls before he was caught by Shubham Pundir off the same bowler without scoring.
From 131 for 5 the lead was only 90. Manav Suthar helped Smaran add 52 for the sixth wicket before Lotra trapped him lbw for 16. Rishabh Pant, captaining the side, made 8 off 18 balls before Lotra got him lbw as well, and Akash Deep was caught by Shubham Khajuria two runs later. Lotra finished the day with 3 for 71 from 26 overs. Pant’s two innings in Srinagar have brought him 18 runs.
Smaran and Choudhary
Choudhary, who took 5 for 78 with the ball on Friday, has faced 47 balls for his 9. That was all Smaran needed from him. The ninth-wicket partnership is worth 109 and still going, and Rest of India scored 62 runs in the last 10 overs of the day without losing a wicket.
Sunil Kumar was again the hardest bowler to get away, with 1 for 48 from 26 overs. Nazir took 3 for 87, though he also bowled 15 no-balls in the innings.
Why the lead matters
The arithmetic is simple and it favours the hosts. Jammu and Kashmir took a 41-run first-innings lead on Friday, thanks to Paras Dogra’s 75 and Lone Nasir’s 64 from No. 10, and in the Irani Cup a drawn match goes to the side with the first-innings lead. Rest of India have to win outright to take the trophy.
That leaves them with a call to make on Sunday morning: how much longer to bat before giving their seamers two days, or less, to bowl Jammu and Kashmir out on a pitch that has offered help to the quicks throughout. Jammu and Kashmir only have to bat it out.