J&K beat Maharashtra by 54 runs in Ranji Trophy Group C match

Debutant Digvijay Deshmukh's gritty 83 while batting at number 8 went in vain as Jammu and Kashmir beat Maharashtra by 54 runs on the final day of their Ranji Trophy Group C match here on Friday.

In his debut first class match, the 21-year-old Deshmukh was the lone Maharashtra batsman who made a semblance of a fight as his 83 came from just 71 deliveries from which he hit seven boundaries and five sixes but his effort came too late in the day and he did not get support from the other end.

Set a big target of 364 for a win, Maharashtra resumed at their overnight score of 192 for 5, requiring 172 more runs, but they were bowled out for 309 in 86.1 overs in their second innings.

For Jammu & Kashmir, right-arm medium-pacers Mohammed Mudhasir (4 for 83) and Umar Nazir (4/86) did most of the damage. Nazir finished with match figures of 9 for 116. He got the crucial wicket of experienced Ankit Bawane (32), who could add only one more run to his overnight score.

The home team could not build on the century partnership of the first wicket between Ruturaj Gaikwad (78), who is part of the Chennai Super Kings squad in the IPL, and MS Trunkwala (54).

However, the fall of three wickets in the space of 13 runs pegged Maharashtra back from which they could not recover.

J & K took their tally in Group C to 12 points after Friday's win.

In other matches of the group, Chhattisgarh thrashed Uttarakhand by an innings and 65 runs while Odisha also outplayed Services by an innings and 31 runs.

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