Bucchi Babu Invitation Cricket Tournament : Vanshaj spins web, plots Railways’ collapse, J&K set to take 1st innings lead

 Jammu, Aug 19: Promising left-arm spinner Vanshaj Sharma spun web and tormented Railways’ batters with a stellar spell of 6 for 49 in 26.3 overs, helping Jammu and Kashmir restrict the opposition for a modest 220/8, thus sighting a crucial first innings lead in the ongoing Bucchi Babu Invitation Cricket Tournament, organised by Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA).A statement issued here said that on a batting-friendly surface, Vanshaj’s crucial breakthroughs halted Railways’ progress at key moments. He dismissed dangerous looking Ashish Singh (76 off 139 balls), and a well-set skipper Vivek Singh (16 off 25 balls), preventing Railways from capitalizing on their reasonably solid foundation. Earlier, J&K declared their first innings at the overnight score of 393/5 thus inviting Railways to bat. Railways openers Mrunal Devdhar and Ashish Singh began on a catious note and added 31 runs in 63 balls before left-arm seamer Sunil Kumar dismissed Devdhar at his individual score of 11 runs. Then Railways’ batters struggled against Vanshaj Sharma who bowled with nagging line and teasing length and the team managed to score 220 runs in 90 overs, losing 8 wickets in the process. Dinesh Mor was unbeaten on 57 and Himanshu Sangwan was at the crease on 17 at the draw of stumps on day-2 today. With two wickets in hand and the final day’s play left, Railways are still trailing by 173 runs. J&K is all set to gain a sizeable first innings lead. For J&K, Vanshaj Sharma was the wrecker-in-chief, capturing 6 important wickets, while another left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq and Sunil Kumar claimed one wicket each.