For a team playing its first-ever Ranji Trophy final, Jammu & Kashmir are showing no signs of stage fright. If anything, they are playing like a side that believes this moment belongs to them. At stumps on Day 2 in Hubballi, J&K had powered their way to 527/6 against Karnataka.
On a surface that has offered very little to the bowlers, it has still taken courage and clarity to bat this long in a final. J&K have shown both in abundance. Karnataka began the morning with the second new ball and briefly sensed an opening when Prasidh Krishna removed Abdul Samad and Vidyadhar Patil dismissed Shubham Pundir, reducing J&K to 307/4. For the first time in the match, the hosts had their tails up. But they could not sustain that pressure.
Paras Dogra, who had retired hurt on Day 1 after being struck on the glove by a bouncer from Vijaykumar Vyshak, returned to the crease and dug deep. Alongside Kanhaiya Wadhawan, he stitched together a crucial 110-run stand for the fifth wicket as J&K crossed the 400-run mark.
Ranji Trophy final: Tempers flare, but J&K hold firm
The tension of a final eventually was seen in the 101st over. After edging Prasidh for a boundary, Dogra was involved in a verbal exchange with substitute fielder K.V. Aneesh at silly point. What followed stunned everyone. Dogra walked up and headbutted Aneesh with his helmet still on, forcing umpires and players, including Mayank Agarwal, to step in quickly.
KL Rahul, positioned close in, was visibly irked as tempers simmered in the middle. It was an ugly moment in an otherwise impressive batting effort from J&K.
After the stumps, an important update came as the BCCI has decided to penalize Paras Dogra 50% of his match fees after the headbutt incident.
Wadhawan continued to play positively, bringing up his half-century before falling to Rahul, who took a juggling catch. Dogra battled on to 65 but was eventually bowled by Shreyas Gopal after surviving a bizarre moment when the ball hit the stumps but the bails stayed intact. With J&K at 471/6 before tea, Karnataka hoped to claw their way back. Instead, Sahil Lotra (57*) and Abid Mushtaq added an unbeaten 56-run stand to frustrate the hosts further before bad light and rain ended play.
Earlier contributions from Shubham Pundir (121) and Yawer Hassan (88) laid the foundation. Three Karnataka bowlers have already conceded over 100 runs, and the pitch looks increasingly flat.
Brief Scores: J&K 527/6 (Shubham Pundir 121, Yawer Hassan 88; Prasidh Krishna 3-90) vs Karnataka
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