Dogra bruised but J&K's young duo make a mark

Paras Dogra waited for 177 minutes to bat as Yawer Hassan and Shubham Pundir ground their way through the post-lunch session. Prasidh Krishna, who had bent his back, got one to rise and straighten, squaring up Hassan and inducing an edge to second slip.

Hassan, who steadied the start in veteran Shubham Khajuriya's absence, fell 12 short of a century but had navigated the moving ball early, leaving Jammu & Kashmir well placed at 157 for 2 midway into the second session.

The onus shifted to Dogra, a veteran of 24 first-class seasons. At the other end, Prasidh was breathing fire on a slow surface, generating zip and bounce from back of a length. He had shown signs in his second spell, with one delivery shooting to hit Hassan around the chest.

In his third spell, he was more lethal. Dogra, after a long wait, struggled. To counter full deliveries that weren't taking off, he plonked his front foot forward and looked out of sorts as Prasidh and Vijaykumar Vyshak beat him with bounce from back of a length.

One delivery zipped in and hit him between neck and shoulder, requiring ice packs and attention from players. After treatment, Dogra resumed, but his stay remained painful. Nearly half an hour after tea, a Vyshak delivery hit near his thumb. Coach Ajay Sharma waved from the dressing room, instructing him not to risk further blows, and Dogra retired hurt after a painful 48-ball stay.

If Dogra's innings were a highlight reel, it might seem the Ranji Trophy final was on a spicy deck. Yet, Yawer Hassan, fresh off his maiden first-class fifty, wasn't fully pleased with the day's end total of 284/2. He casually suggested an ideal first-innings score: "650-700."

That number sounds outrageous for a team crossing 400 only once this season, but Hassan called it a necessity. "Banana padega. Because the opposition's lineup is quite strong. So if we have to dominate, we have to muster that many runs."

This ambition reflects confidence from their 771-run marathon against Himachal in Nadaun.

That confidence showed with Abdul Samad, the team's highest run-scorer this season, after Dogra retired hurt. When Karnataka's pacers tested him with short-pitched bowling, he took them on. Unlike Dogra, he played a confident pull early, missing one but not bogging down. Two overs later, he comfortably pulled Vidyadhar Patil in front of square. Three boundaries off successive deliveries sparked an ego battle.

On a slow surface with an old ball, Patil persisted with short-pitched bait to Samad, who backed his pull shots but played them along the ground.

As Samad ramped up, Pundir attacked Shikhar Shetty's left-arm spin from the other end, smashing a six to move into his 80s. This collective assault pushed Karnataka into a defensive mode, with four boundary riders allowing easy singles.

Both batters took those runs, with occasional attacks to keep Karnataka from changing plans, including a six over deep extra cover by Pundir to bring up his second century of the season.

With pacers tiring and spinners finding little aid, it raised questions about Devdutt Padikkal's confidence to bowl first. The pacers were impressive but didn't challenge the stumps enough early when help was available. Padikkal refused the second new ball, giving it to spinners for the rest of the day. In those seven overs, Jammu & Kashmir added 30 more runs to seal a clinical day.

"There still isn't enough runs on the board," Hassan said after play. "But still, okay, a good score for Day 1. Maybe tomorrow if we can add 200-250 more, with good partnerships, that would help."

Hassan noted a day and a half remains before spinners take primary roles, offering Jammu & Kashmir a chance to prove their batters can grind it out.

Most importantly, Dogra—wounded but not out. The veteran looked out of sorts while younger batters stepped up, but the skipper, with no reported injury, will get a chance to make amends and prove the start won't define the end.