First time in 80 years: Jammu and Kashmir set new benchmark in modern first-class cricket
Jammu & Kashmir set a historic first-class cricket record, scoring 771 with five century partnerships and seven batters over 50 against Himachal. It’s the first time in 80 years an Indian team has achieved five 100+ stands in a single innings.
Jammu and Kashmir produced a record-breaking batting display to seize a commanding position over Himachal Pradesh in their Ranji Trophy encounter. After restricting Himachal to 168 on the first day, J&K compiled a mammoth 771, taking a 603-run first-innings lead. Their innings was marked by remarkable partnerships and individual contributions, with seven batters surpassing 50 and three reaching triple figures.
Shubham Khajuria’s brief 21-run stay in the sixth over ended the opening stand, but Yawer Hassan managed 54 in a partnership with Shubham Pundir, who went on to score a commanding 165. Pundir featured in two century stands thereafter: first with captain Paras Dogra (52) for the third wicket and then with Abdul Samad (61) for the fourth. He later added 75 runs with Kanhaiya Wadhawan before falling as the fifth wicket at 373.
Wadhawan himself contributed a century, scoring 110, and forged a 110-run partnership with Abid Mushtaq (177) for the seventh wicket. Mushtaq extended the momentum with two further century partnerships, first with Auqib Nabi for the eighth wicket, then with Yudhvir Singh for the ninth, adding 125 runs.
This innings is historic for Jammu and Kashmir, marking the first time since the 1945/46 Ranji Trophy season that an Indian team has recorded five or more century partnerships in a single innings. That feat was previously achieved by Holkar, which posted seven 100+ stands against Mysore in the semifinal in Indore. Before that, Maharashtra held the record with five century stands against Northern India in the 1940/41 semifinal.
Overall, there have been only seven instances of a team compiling five or more century stands in a first-class innings worldwide, with just two occurring previously in India. Additionally, this marks the seventh time in Indian first-class cricket that a team has had seven batters score more than 50 in an innings.
Most 100-run partnerships in an innings in first-class cricket:
Holkar vs Mysore – 7, Indore, 1945/46
New South Wales vs South Australia – 5, Sydney, 1900/01
Australians vs Oxford University – 5, Oxford, 1938
Maharashtra vs Northern India – 5, Poona, 1940/41
Australians vs Gloucestershire – 5, Bristol, 1948
Sialkot vs Hyderabad – 5, Sialkot, 2007/08
Sri Lanka A vs South Africa A – 5, Potchefstroom, 2008/09
Jammu and Kashmir vs Himachal Pradesh – 5, Amtar, 2025/26