Jammu & Kashmir bowl out Madhya Pradesh for 196 – Rohit Sharma’s five‑for and Sunil Kumar’s four‑for do the damage

It was a damp, wind‑swept afternoon in Srinagar when the toss gave J&K the option to bowl first – a decision that would pay off almost immediately. Sunil Kumar, the young medium‑paceman, cracked open the MP innings with a tidy four‑for‑69, unsettling the openers and forcing an early wicket.

Rohit Sharma – not the former India captain, but a lanky J&K pacer sharing the same name – then took charge. He kept the ball tight, hit the right length and, before long, had rattled the opposition for a second five‑wicket haul in his first‑class career, finishing with an impressive five for 36.

The Madhya Pradesh side, peppered with three debutants, struggled to settle. Their captain, Shubham Sharma, tried to stitch things together, grinding out a gritty 79 off 174 balls, complete with eight fours. He partnered with debutant Chanchal Rathore for a 65‑run stand and later added a 51‑run partnership with Aryan Pandey.

Still, the pressure never eased. Sunil flirted with a five‑for, but a sharp return catch off MP’s fielder denied him the milestone. As the day drew to a close, J&K were 3 for 1 in reply, with Avesh Khan catching Shubham Khajuria leg‑before‑wicket on the penultimate ball.

In the end, Madhya Pradesh were bundled out for just 196, a score that felt cheap given the talent on paper. The win gave J&K a confidence‑boosting start to their Ranji Trophy Group A campaign, and the performances of Rohit and Sunil will surely be talked about in the dressing room for weeks to come.