Jammu and Kashmir restricted Kerala to 163 for six at stumps on the second day of the Under-16 Vijay Merchant Trophy in Gwalior, maintaining firm control over the fixture after posting 384 runs in their first innings.
Jammu and Kashmir resumed their overnight score of 272 for seven on the second morning, according to Samakalika Malayalam. Akash Pratap Singh fell early, clean bowled by Karthick after contributing 90 runs. But captain Harinder Singh stood firm at the other end. He marshalled the tail effectively, forging an 87-run partnership with Hammad Firdous to push the total toward a commanding position.
Srihari Prasad broke the stubborn stand by removing Singh for 162. Prasad struck again on the very next delivery to wrap up the J&K innings at 384. S. Aryan was the pick of the Kerala bowling attack, claiming five wickets, while Prasad chipped in with two scalps.
Kerala’s response began disastrously when opener Vishal George fell for a duck in the opening over. Quick dismissals of Devarsh for nine and Devateerth for four left the batting lineup reeling at 30 for three. Firdous dismantled the top order with disciplined new-ball bowling, maintaining a tight channel that starved the batters of easy runs.
A stabilizing fourth-wicket partnership between Devananayan and Aaron Alex temporarily halted the slide. Devananayan contributed 42 runs, while Alex added 41 before Firdous broke through again to swing the momentum back to J&K. Firdous finished his spell with three wickets, preventing the lower order from recovering quickly.
| Player / Metric | Team | Key Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Harinder Singh | Jammu and Kashmir | 162 runs |
| Akash Pratap Singh | Jammu and Kashmir | 90 runs |
Faced with a mounting deficit, Kerala found stability through a resilient seventh-wicket stand. Karthick and Prasad combined at the crease to play out the remaining overs safely. At the end of the second day’s play, Karthick was unbeaten on 25, alongside Prasad, who was holding firm on 20. The pair had added 43 runs together, taking their team’s total to 163 for six.
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