Abdul Samad's fifty lifts Jammu & Kashmir clear of 37 for 4 in the Irani Cup

Abdul Samad's unbeaten half-century has carried Jammu & Kashmir clear of a top-order collapse on the second day of the Irani Cup in Srinagar

The Ranji Trophy champions reached 134 for 4 on the second morning at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, still 103 runs behind Rest of India's first innings of 237.

Samad was 53 not out from 84 balls and captain Paras Dogra 37 from 76, their unbeaten stand of 97 the only substantial partnership of the innings so far.

The pair came together at 37 for 4, by which point Mukesh Choudhary had removed both overnight batters and then Qamran Iqbal in a spell that read 3-47 from 12 overs.

Choudhary cuts through the top order

Jammu & Kashmir resumed on 21 for 2 and lost Shubham Khajuria for 4, bowled by Choudhary, who found steep bounce from a length on a surface that has rewarded pace since the first ball of the match.

Qamran Iqbal made 24 from 35 balls before becoming Choudhary's third wicket of the innings, leaving the hosts four down inside the first hour of the day.

Akash Deep took 1-26 from nine overs at the other end, having accounted for nightwatchman Umar Nazir for a nine-ball duck on the opening evening.

Samad and Dogra dig in

Samad's fifty was not a fluent one. He has hit four fours and a six and scored at a little over a run every other ball, but he has denied Rest of India a fifth wicket for the better part of a session.

Dogra, at the other end, has been slower still, with two fours and a six in his 76 balls, and the captain's job has been to bat time rather than close the deficit quickly.

The stand has already outlasted anything the first four wickets managed between them, and it is the first time in the match that Jammu & Kashmir have looked settled with the bat.

A surface that belongs to the quicks

Ten of the 12 wickets to fall on the opening day went to seamers on a lush green pitch, which is why Dogra put Rest of India in after winning the toss.

That decision was vindicated inside a day. Sunil Kumar took 3-36 and Lone Nasir Muzaffar 3-59 as the visitors were bowled out in 68.1 overs.

Rest of India were held together by half-centuries from Shikhar Mohan and Smaran Ravichandran, with vice-captain Sarfaraz Khan making 45 before the lower order folded.

Kashmir's first Irani Cup

This is the first time the Irani Cup has been played in the region, a fixture Jammu & Kashmir earned by winning the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy.

They are doing it without their leading bowler. Auqib Nabi, who took 60 wickets in that title-winning season, is with India's one-day squad against West Indies and has been replaced in the attack by Sunil Kumar and Nasir.

Rest of India are led by Rishabh Pant, who kept wicket through the 37 overs of the Jammu & Kashmir innings so far.

Still a deficit to erase

With six wickets in hand and 103 runs to find, Jammu & Kashmir are close to parity but have no cushion if Choudhary finds the edge of Samad's bat again.

Three days remain, and on a pitch offering this much to the quicker bowlers, a first-innings lead of any size is likely to be worth more than the scoreboard suggests.

Scorecard: Rest of India 237 (68.1 overs) — Sunil Kumar 3-36, Lone Nasir Muzaffar 3-59; Jammu & Kashmir 134 for 4 (37 overs) — Abdul Samad 53 not out, Paras Dogra 37 not out, Mukesh Choudhary 3-47.

Catch the match live updates, highlights, and full match coverage on CricRadio. Get fast, accurate, and ad-free updates throughout the game. Download the CricRadio app from the Play Store to stay connected. You can also get the live scores of cricket series directly on the CricRadio website for real-time coverage.