Hubballi: A masterful unbeaten century from Shubham Pundir and a tenacious 88 from young Yawer Hassan saw Jammu & Kashmir seize control of the Ranji Trophy final, ending the opening day at a solid 284/2 and leaving Karnataka’s bowlers searching for answers here on Tuesday.
Pundir, the 27-year-old left-handed batter, was 117 not out at stumps and giving him company was Abdul Samad on 52, the duo having added 105 runs for the third wicket after skipper Paras Dogra retired hurt.
This was after Pundir and Yawer stitched together a stand of 139 runs to lay the foundation for a big total against the eight-time champions, whose batters have a great record at this venue. Pundir reached his hundred in style, smashing Shikhar Shetty for a six over deep mid-wicket. He marked reaching the landmark by removing his helmet and raising his arms in the direction of the dressing room.
Earlier, on a pitch that is likely to break up as the game progresses, Jammu and Kashmir won a good toss, and Dogra’s decision to bat first was on expected lines.
Playing in their maiden Ranji final after an inspired run that saw them claim away victories against established teams such as Madhya Pradesh and Bengal in the knockouts, J&K lost Qamran Iqbal (6) early.
The opener poked at a Prasidh Krishna delivery that straightened a bit to induce an outside edge for KL Rahul to complete a comfortable catch in the slip cordon. The lack of foot movement from Qamran played a part in the day’s first wicket, but J&K’s decision to bat first was vindicated by Yawer and Pundir, the duo carrying the team to 104/1
at lunch.