Ranji Trophy quarterfinal | Pacer Kuldeep sizzles as Madhya Pradesh claims the opening day’s honours

An indifferent batting performance from Jammu and Kashmir handed Madhya Pradesh the advantage on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal outing at the Holkar Stadium here on Friday.

A combination of poor shot selection and a lack of application led J & K to be bowled out for 194 – a sub-par score on a pitch which held true and firm. Opener Shubham Khajuria (60, 140b, 6×4) showed the right mettle, but once he perished to an ill-fated jab, the slide began.

MP fast bowler Kuldeep Sen, who managed to extract considerable bounce, scalped his maiden five-for of the tournament. Kuldeep provided the early breakthroughs when he removed Yawer Hassan (13) and Shubham Pundir (1) in quick succession. Khajuria and captain Paras Dogra then took over, blunting the attack with a dead bat.

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Against the run of play, Khajuria faltered when he guided left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya to Rajat Patidar, who took a sharp catch at slip.

Dogra (33, 91b, 4×4) was sent back a couple of overs later, when he feathered a rising delivery from Kuldeep to the wicketkeeper Himanshu Mantri. A delayed appeal was denied, but the third umpire overturned the decision on review.

Brain fade

Abdul Samad suffered a brain fade at the stroke of tea. Samad, planted to the crease with no feet movement, attempted a weak flick to a delivery way outside off. The resulting nick was grabbed at slip, leaving J & K reeling at 134 for six. As the last recognised batter, the team desperately needed Samad to dig in and hold fort, but he was not up to the task.

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Kartikeya cashed in on needlessly aggressive advances from Kanhaiya Wadhawan and Abid Mushtaq.

Out of the crease: Wicketkeeper Himanshu stumps Abid off Kartikeya’s bowling.
| Photo Credit:
R.V. Moorthy

Tailender Yudhvir Singh (41, 35, 3×4, 3×6) smacked three massive sixes to bring the sparse crowd alive. Yudhvir’s charmed run came to an end at the hands of Kuldeep, who despite being inconsistent with his length, reaped the rewards of running in hard and bowling with fire.

MP openers Harsh Gawli (8 batting) and Yash Dubey (14 batting) ensured that the home team finished the day unscathed. The MP batters, renowned for their patience and temperament, could turn Saturday into a long, hard day for J & K.

The scores: Jammu & Kashmir – 1st innings: Shubham Khajuria c Patidar b Kartikeya 60, Yawer Hassan c Mantri b Kuldeep 13, Shubham Pundir c Gawali b Kuldeep 1, Paras Dogra c Mantri b Kuldeep 33, Abdul Samad c Venkatesh b Aryan 16, Kanhaiya Wadhawan lbw b Kartikeya 7, Abid Mushtaq st. Mantri b Kartikeya 1, Auqib Nabi b Aryan 1, Vanshaj Sharma c Mantri b Kuldeep 16, Yudhvir Singh c Mantri b Kuldeep 41, Sunil Kumar (not out) 0; Extras (nb-2, lb-3) 5; Total (in 67 overs): 194.

Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-30, 3-109, 4-113, 5-130, 6-134, 7-136, 8-136, 9-178.

Madhya Pradesh bowling: Aryan 18-7-27-2, Saransh 8-3-13-0, Gurjar 12-2-34-0, Kuldeep 15-1-66-5, Venkatesh 7-2-25-0, Kartikeya 7-1-26-3.

Madhya Pradesh – 1st innings: Harsh Gawli (batting) 8, Yash Dubey (batting) 14; Extras (nb-5, lb-1): 6; Total (for no loss in 10 overs): 28.

Jammu & Kashmir bowling: Nabi 4-0-15-0, Sunil 5-3-10-0, Yudhvir 1-0-2-0.

Published – February 06, 2026 06:17 pm IST