MP Pacer Sen Blows Away J&K Batting

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Indore- Madhya Pradesh pace-bowling stalwart Kuldeep Sen registered his fourth career five-wicket haul as the former champions dismissed Jammu & Kashmir for a paltry 194 on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal here on Friday.

The 29-year-old former India ODI player returned figures of 5 for 66, ripping through the top order, after which left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya (3/26) strangled the middle order as Jammu & Kashmir failed to recover and were dismissed in just 67 overs.

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At stumps, Madhya Pradesh had wiped out 28 runs from the J&K total without losing a wicket, with Harsh Gawli (8 not out) and Yash Dubey (14) at the crease.

Madhya Pradesh, the 2021-22 champions, struck early as Sen removed opener Yawer Hassan (13) and one-down Shubham Pundir (1) in successive overs, leaving Jammu & Kashmir reeling at 30 for 2.

However, Shubham Khajuria (60 off 140 balls) played a responsible knock to steady the innings, guiding them past the 100-run mark, even as the runs came at a snail's pace, with J&K reaching the landmark only in the 45th over.

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But once Khajuria departed after a 79-run third-wicket stand with skipper Paras Dogra (33 off 91 balls), things quickly went downhill for J&K as they slid to 136 for 8 and were eventually bundled out for a sub-200 total.

Brief scores: Jammu & Kashmir 194 all out in 67 overs (Shubham Khajuria 60, Paras Dogra 33, Yudhvir Singh 41; Kuldeep Sen 5/66, Kumar Kartikeya 3/26, Aryan Pandey 2/27) vs Madhya Pradesh 28 for no loss in 10 overs (Yash Dubey 14 not out).

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