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

Kuldeep Sen's five-wicket haul leads Madhya Pradesh to a strong position against Jammu and Kashmir in Ranji Trophy quarterfinal.

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, 6x4) 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.

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, 4x4) 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.

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.