Srinagar, Dec 31: Jammu and Kashmir endured a forgettable outing with the bat as a formidable Bengal bowling unit, spearheaded by Mohammed Shami, Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar, skittled them out for a paltry 63 in their Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group match in Rajkot, on Wednesday.
Asked to bat first after Bengal won the toss, J&K’s batting line-up crumbled under relentless pace and discipline. Shami set the tone with sharp early spells, while Akash Deep and Mukesh Kumar maintained pressure from the other end, exposing J&K’s top and middle order. Wickets fell at regular intervals, with J&K never able to stitch together any meaningful partnership.
Skipper Paras Dogra was the lone resistance for J&K, top-scoring with 19 off 46 balls in an otherwise bleak batting card. None of the other batters other than Shubham Khajuria who scored 12, managed to reach double figures, as J&K were bundled out in just 20.4 overs. Mukesh Kumar (4 wickets), Akash Deep (4 wickets) and Mohammed Shami (2 wickets) shared the spoils, completely dismantling the opposition.
In reply, Bengal made light work of the modest target, racing to 64 for the loss of just one wicket in 9.3 overs. Openers Abishek Porel and Sudip Kumar Gharami ensured there were no hiccups, with Bengal’s chase marked by composure and authority.
Mukesh Kumar was adjudged Player of the Match for his incisive spell, which played a decisive role in Bengal’s comprehensive nine-wicket victory.