A disciplined batting effort led by unbeaten half-centuries from Armaan Singh Gurna and Manpreet Singh Sandhu put Muktsar in a commanding position against Ludhiana. They ended Sunday, first day of the two-day match, on 143 for the loss of two wickets.
The two teams are facing off in a quarterfinal of the Inter-District Cricket Tournament for Katoch Shield Trophy at the GRD Academy ground on Hambran Road here.
The start of day’s play was delayed by nearly four hours due to wet outfield after overnight rain. Once conditions improved and play got underway, Muktsar, who won the toss and elected to bat, recovered well from an early setback. Only 51 overs could be bowled on the day.
Ludhiana struck on just the fourth ball of the innings as Aradhya Shukla had Mahavir Singh caught by Rajveer Soni without a run on the board. Harman Kumar and Gurna then steadied the innings with a patient 65-run partnership for the second wicket.
Harman displayed admirable resilience during his 91-ball 35, laced with four boundaries, before Ravi Kumar ended his resistance.
Then, Gurna and Sandhu ensured there were no further setbacks. The duo adopted a cautious approach on a pitch offering assistance to the bowlers and accelerated when opportunities came their way. They stitched together an unbroken 77-run stand for the third wicket to frustrate the Ludhiana attack.
At the close of play, Gurna was unbeaten on 51 off 154 balls, hitting five boundaries, and Manpreet carried his bat on 50 runs off 64 balls. His innings included four fours and two sixes.
