Irani Cup 2026, Day 1: Rishabh Pant fails as J&K restrict Rest of India to 237

Jammu and Kashmir bowled the rest of India out for 237 on a seamer-friendly opening day in Srinagar, with Rishabh Pant making 15 on his red-ball return. Late wickets left J&K at 21 for 2, but their strong bowling effort has kept the Irani Cup contest finely poised.

In Short

• Rishabh Pant was dismissed for 15 on a green top in Srinagar
• Jammu and Kashmir bowled the Rest of India out for 237
• J&K then lost two wickets before stumps to finish on 21 for 2

Brief Scores: Jammu and Kashmir (21 for 2) trail Rest of India (237) by 216 runs on Day 1 of Irani Cup in Srinagar.

Rishabh Pant's return to red-ball cricket did not go to plan as he was dismissed for 15 on a green top in Srinagar, where Jammu and Kashmir bowled Rest of India out for 237 on the opening day of the Irani Cup. The hosts then lost two wickets before stumps to finish on 21 for 2, still 216 runs behind.

The fast bowlers had a field day at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, accounting for 10 of the 12 wickets that fell on Thursday. Sunil Kumar, Umar Nazir Mir and Lone Nasir did most of the damage for J&K, while Akash Deep and Mukesh Choudhary struck late to leave the hosts with a testing start to their reply.

Shikhar Mohan and Ravichandran Smaran scored half-centuries for Rest of India, while Sarfaraz Khan made a composed 45. But after Rest of India reached 106 for 2 in the first session, J&K fought back strongly and picked up four wickets for 22 runs.

PANT FAILS TO IMPRESS

Pant walked in after Mohan's dismissal but never looked comfortable. He was warned by the umpires after just two deliveries for stepping into the danger area while charging the bowler. The India wicketkeeper-batter then spent much of his 36-ball stay searching for his timing. There were several swings and misses before he charged Mir and sliced the ball to short cover-point.

Sarfaraz had fallen just before Pant, strangled down the leg side by Mir. The two dismissals came as J&K turned the game around after a promising opening session for Rest of India.

MOHAN, SARFARAZ LEAD THE WAY

Mohan was the standout batter in the first half of the day. The opener judged the length well, left the ball when required and kept the scoreboard moving without taking unnecessary risks.

He reached his half-century from 78 balls, with nine fours, and put on 76 runs with Sarfaraz. Sarfaraz was particularly assured outside off stump. He waited for the ball and rarely chased deliveries he could leave, making 45 with five fours.

Nasir finally broke the partnership after lunch. The J&K seamer asked deep square leg to move before bowling a full delivery wide outside off. Mohan chased it without moving his feet and edged behind. It was the start of a collapse that changed the course of the innings.

SMARAN RESCUES THE REST OF INDIA

The rest of India slipped to 155 for 6 before Smaran stepped in to hold the innings together.

The batter was on 13 from 30 balls when Akash Deep joined him at No. 9. Smaran then accelerated, bringing up his fifty and adding 39 runs with Akash Deep for the eighth wicket.

He followed that with a 43-run partnership with Mukesh Choudhary, scoring 38 of those runs himself. Those two stands took Rest of India past 200 and gave them a total they could at least defend.

Smaran eventually fell for 68, while Choudhary made a useful contribution as Rest of India were bowled out for 237.

Sunil Kumar finished with 3 for 36, Nasir took 3 for 59 and Mir claimed 2 for 65.

J&K, however, were guilty of giving away too many extras. They conceded 14, including 12 no-balls. Mir bowled seven of them.

AKASH DEEP STRIKES LATE

J&K had only around half an hour to bat before the close, but Rest of India managed to make early inroads. Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Shubham Pundir after a review, with replays showing the bat grazing the front pad close to the ball.

Mir was then sent in as a nightwatchman but his stay was brief. Akash Deep bowled a sharp short delivery and Mir edged it, leaving J&K on 21 for 2 at the close. J&K still trail by 216 runs, but after exploiting the conditions to dismiss Rest of India for 237, the hosts will feel they have given themselves a chance to take control of the Irani Cup from the second morning.

- Ends