Rajasthan were off to a pale start in the opening match week of the Ranji Trophy 2017-18 for Group B, as they settled for a draw against Jammu and Kashmir at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday. Winning the toss, Jammu and Kashmir put Rajasthan to bat first, as they were bundled for an average total of 330 on Day Two. Robin Bist was the top scorer with 113 runs, while Mohammed Mudhasir claimed five wickets for 81. Jammu and Kashmir too provided a good fightback with the bat, as they went on to bat until Day Three, declaring their innings on 436 for the loss of eight wickets, earning a lead of 106 runs. Ahmed Bandy played a subtle knock of 102, while Tanveer-Ul-Haq claimed three for 43.
Round 1, Day 4
As Rajasthan went on with their second innings, it was another commendable display by the batsmen, clearly indicating the the Sawai Mansigh track in Jaipur was nothing but a batsman’s paradise. Middle-order batsman Rajesh Bishnoi was the top scorer in the innings with an unbeaten 101. The Day Four of the match began with Jammu & Kashmir resuming at overnight score of 432 for the loss of six wickets. They lost the remaining four wickets in just four runs. Ranji Trophy 2017-18 Schedule: Timings, Match Fixture, Date, and Venues
As Rajasthan began their second innings, they too were off to a slow start, losing four wickets in just 69 runs, indicating that the pitch was starting to turn. However it was the pair of Mahipal Lomror and Bishnoi, who played in a composed manner, as Rajasthan finished on 85 for the loss of four at lunch, while at tea, they had earned a lead of 75 runs. However, with the day being the last , and assuming there was no result possible; just after an hour of play post lunch, the captains decided to call it a draw.
In the other Group B matches, Saurashtra beat Haryana by an innings and 31 runs on Sunday, while Kerala beat Jharkhand by nine wickets on Sunday. As for the points table in Group B, Saurashtra lead the chart with seven points, followed by Kerala in the second spot with six points, while Rajasthan and Jammu & Kashmir share three points each.
Brief scores
Rajasthan 330 (Robin Bist 113, Ashok Menaria 69; Mohammed Mudhasir 5 for 81) & 246 for 4 (Mahipal Lomror 65*, Rajesh Bishnoi 101*; Rohit Sharma 2 for 28) draw against Jammu & Kashmir 436 for 8 (Ahmed Bandy 102, Parvez Rasool 97; Tanveer-Ul-Haq 3 for 43).
Courtesy: CricketCountry (Ayush Gupta is a reporter at CricketCountry. A passionate supporter of Manchester United, he idolises Roger Federer and is also a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) maniac. He can be followed on Twitter @Ayush24x7)