Irani Cup 2026 Day 1: Rishabh Pant fails as J&K restrict Rest of India to 237
Brief results: Jammu and Kashmir (21 for 2) lead Rest of India (237) by 216 runs on Day 1 of the Irani Cup in Srinagar.
Rishabh Pant’s return to red-ball cricket did not go as planned as he was dismissed for 15 on a green top in Srinagar, where Jammu and Kashmir bowled out the rest of India for 237 on the opening day of the Irani Cup. The hosts then lost two wickets at stumps to finish at 21 for 2, still 216 runs behind.
The fast bowlers had the field of the day at the Sher-i-Kashmir Stadium, accounting for 10 of the 12 wickets taken 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 Test start to their replies.
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 to claim four wickets in 22 runs.
PANTS DO NOT WORK FOR SECURITY
Pant came in after Mohan’s dismissal but never looked comfortable. He was cautioned by the umpires after just two deliveries for entering the danger zone while charging the bowler. The Indian wicketkeeper-batsman then spent much of his 36-ball stay finding his timing. There were a few swings and misses before he charged Miro and sliced the ball to short cover point.
Sarfaraz fell just before Pant, strangled 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 best batsman in the first half of the day. The opener judged the length well, left the ball when needed and kept the scoreboard moving without taking any unnecessary risks.
He reached his half-century off 78 balls with nine fours and shared 76 runs with Sarfaraz. Sarfaraz was particularly assured outside the off stump. He waited for the ball and rarely chased deliveries to leave, which was 45 with five fours.
Nasir finally broke off the partnership after lunch. The J&K seamer asked deep square leg to move before playing a full delivery from wide outside off. Mohan chased him without moving his feet and dodged behind him. It was the beginning of a collapse that changed the course of the innings.
SMARAN SAVE 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 off 30 balls when Akash Deep joined him at No. 9. Smaran then stepped up to bring up his fifty and add 39 runs with Akash Deep for the eighth wicket.
He followed this up with a 43-run partnership with Mukesh Choudhary, scoring 38 of those runs himself. These two stands put the rest of India past 200 and gave them a total they could at least defend.
Smaran eventually fell for 68 while Choudhary was a useful asset as the rest of India were bowled out for 237.
Sunil Kumar finished with 3 for 36, Nasir took 3 for 59 and Mir took 2 for 65.
However, J&K were guilty of giving away too many extras. They conceded 14, of which 12 were no-balls. Mir threw seven of them.
AKASH DEEP STRIKES LATE
J&K only had about half an hour to bat before the end, but Rest of India managed to make an early push. Mukesh Choudhary dismissed Shubham Pundir after a review, with records showing the bat grazing on the front pad close to the ball.
Mir was then sent as a night watchman, but his stay was short. Akash Deep bowled a sharp short delivery and Mir edged it to leave J&K at 21 for 2 at the end. J&K still trail by 216 runs, but after taking advantage of the conditions to dismiss Rest of India for 237, the hosts will feel they gave themselves a chance to take control of the Irani Cup from the second morning.
– The end