Smaran Ravichandran's Century Puts Rest of India Ahead in Irani Cup
Day Three Highlights of the Irani Cup
In Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on October 3, Smaran Ravichandran's impressive century has placed the Rest of India in a strong position at the conclusion of the third day of the Irani Cup against the Ranji Trophy champions, Jammu and Kashmir.
By the end of the day, the Rest of India had scored 306 runs for the loss of 8 wickets, with Smaran remaining not out at 126 and Mukesh Choudhary at 9. They hold a commanding lead of 265 runs.
Starting the day at 24 for 1 in their second innings, the Rest of India had Sanat Sangwan and Sudip Kumar Gharami both on 10 runs. After being put to bat first by Jammu and Kashmir, the Rest of India was dismissed for 237 in their initial innings, while Jammu and Kashmir managed to score 278.
At the beginning of the second day, Jammu and Kashmir had a slight advantage with a 17-run lead.
Nasir Muzaffar made an early breakthrough by dismissing Sudip for 33 runs off 58 balls. Following this, Sanat (55 runs from 160 balls, including three fours and a six) and Saransh Jain (25 runs) formed a solid partnership of 70 runs for the third wicket. After three quick dismissals by Umar Nazir Mir, Smaran and Manav Suthar (16 runs) added 52 runs together. Despite losing partners, Smaran showcased his talent by scoring a remarkable century off just 113 balls, finishing the day unbeaten alongside Mukesh.
In their first innings, the Rest of India struggled, getting bowled out for 237 runs, despite notable contributions from Smaran (68 runs off 83 balls, with eight fours and a six), Shikhar Mohan (60 runs off 118 balls, with nine fours), and Sarfaraz Khan (45 runs off 97 balls, with five fours).
For Jammu and Kashmir, Sunil Kumar (3 wickets for 36 runs) and Lone Nasir (3 wickets for 59 runs) were the standout bowlers.
In their first innings, Jammu and Kashmir scored 278 runs, bolstered by fifties from captain Paras Dogra (75 runs off 143 balls, with six fours and a six), Abdul Samad (57 runs off 88 balls, with five fours and a six), and Lone Nasir (64 runs off 58 balls, with eight fours and three sixes).
Mukesh was the top bowler for the Rest of India, claiming 5 wickets for 78 runs.