Meghalaya bats back on day 2, J&K nears Ranji win

Meghalaya staged a stronger batting performance on Day 2 of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group A match against Jammu and Kashmir but still faces an uphill battle, with the visitors only 59 runs from victory.

After a tough first innings where Meghalaya was bowled out for just 73, they managed a more resilient 195 in their second innings, setting J&K a modest target of 75 to win. The day began with J&K resuming their first innings at 125/6, eventually posting 194 as Aryan Borah grabbed the last four wickets to claim a five-wicket haul at 5/42—his third in first-class cricket and first at the Elite level.

With a 121-run deficit, Meghalaya’s second innings saw marked improvement in batting conditions. Opener Arpit Bhatewara capitalized with a gritty 74 off 129 balls, hitting 12 boundaries and holding firm through early wickets. Support from Sumit Kumar (36 off 43) helped the hosts to stabilize slightly with a fifth-wicket partnership of 55 runs. Debutant Roshan Warbah (14) and Ram Gurung (10) also contributed, but J&K’s Auqib Nabi led a strong bowling effort with 5/60, securing match figures of 10/69.

Lower down the order, Akash Kumar Choudhary showed resilience, finishing unbeaten on 29 to push Meghalaya to 195, narrowly surpassing J&K’s first-innings score.

With only a few overs left in the day, J&K held their nerves to avoid any further losses after opener Shubham Khajuria fell to Dippu Sangma for 4. The visitors ended the day at 16/1.