Vijay Sharma fashions thrilling J&K victory

Jammu and Kashmir won the toss and put Himachal Pradesh in to bat in their Ranji One-Dayer at the Harbax Singh Stadium, Delhi on Sunday. As it turned out, their choice was a good one, as they ended up winning the 50 overs a side encounter by the slender margin of one wicket.

Himachal Pradesh managed just 176/9 off their 50 overs with Sangram Singh, at No 7, making 71 off 69 balls. Vijay Sharma, with a five wicket haul, conceding just 20 runs, was the pick of the bowlers.

In response, J & K, bereft of star player Ajay Jadeja, managed to scrape through with just one ball to spare. Although such photo finishes are rare in domestic cricket, this was a match that went down to the wire. J & K lost their first wicket with just nine runs on the board. Fortunately for them, G Pratap made a fighting 45 and took them close to victory. Sanjay Sharma (26 not out) and Surendra Singh took J & K to a pulsating victory.