Rajasthan's promising young medium-pacer Honey Pratap Singh delivered a devastating bowling performance to put his team in a commanding position against Jammu & Kashmir on the opening day of the Cooch Behar Trophy Under-19 Elite match. The thrilling action unfolded at Jaipur's KL Saini Stadium on Tuesday.
Honey Pratap Singh's Dream Spell Decimates Batting Line-Up
In a display of sheer pace and precision, Honey Pratap Singh ripped through the Jammu & Kashmir batting order. His remarkable figures of 6 wickets for just 12 runs in 8 overs, which included 3 maidens, left the visitors in complete disarray. This dream spell reduced J&K to a precarious position, ending the day at 50 for the loss of 8 wickets in their first innings.
Rajasthan's First Innings and J&K's Uphill Battle
Earlier in the day, after being put into bat, the Rajasthan team was bowled out for a total of 207 runs in 62.5 overs. The innings was built around notable contributions from Deepesh, who scored 49 runs, and Karn, who made 47. Both batsmen agonizingly missed their half-centuries by a narrow margin. Naved Khan remained not out on 38, providing valuable lower-order resistance.
For Jammu & Kashmir, the bowling was led by Dhruv Sharma, who took 3 wickets for 32 runs, and Mohammad Usman, who claimed 2 for 31. However, their batting response was shattered by Honey Pratap Singh's brilliance, ably supported by Prakhar Sharma and Ketan Dewasi, who took a wicket each.
Follow-On Looms Large for Struggling Visitors
With only two wickets in hand and still trailing by a massive 157 runs, Jammu & Kashmir face the grim prospect of being forced to follow-on when play resumes on Day 2. Only Salman Ahmad Bakshi offered some resistance with a score of 21, but the team's overall batting collapse has placed Rajasthan firmly in the driver's seat in this crucial Elite group encounter of the prestigious national Under-19 tournament.
Brief Scores:
Rajasthan 207 all out in 62.5 overs (Deepesh 49, Karn 47, Naved Khan 38*, Rajat Baghel 23, Ketan Dewasi 17; Dhruv Sharma 3-32, Mohammad Usman 2-31).
Jammu & Kashmir 50/8 in 17 overs (Salman Ahmad Bakshi 21; Honey Pratap Singh 6-12, Prakhar Sharma 1-17, Ketan Dewasi 1-20).
