Uttar Pradesh were forced into a late change on the second morning in Jamshedpur, bringing left-arm spinner-batter Shivam Sharma into the XI after Prashant Veer jarred his right shoulder while sliding on day one against Jharkhand.
Match referee K Parthasarathy approved the swap under the “Serious Injury Replacement” regulation introduced this domestic season. It is only the second time the clause has been activated in the Ranji Trophy. “We sent the scans across last night and the decision came through quickly,” UP coach Hemang Badani said. “Prashant can’t lift his arm above chest height, so there was no point risking him for the rest of the game.”
The first use of the rule was back in October, when Bengal’s Kazi Junaid Saifi stepped in for Sudip Chatterjee against Gujarat. Unlike the concussion-specific protocol, the broader injury rule covers any ailment that keeps a player out for a minimum fortnight.
Veer is expected to miss at least three weeks. “He’ll start rehab as soon as the swelling settles,” team physio Piyush Dubey explained.
On the field, Jharkhand tightened their grip. Kumar Kushagra’s assured 137 – his fifth first-class hundred – lifted the hosts to a formidable 561 for 6 declared. Fellow opener Sharandeep Singh had already posted 112 on the opening day.
Shivam, thrown straight in, wheeled away for 18.5 tidy overs, claiming 2 for 79 and, crucially, Kushagra’s wicket just before the second new ball. “There wasn’t much turn, so I tried to hang it in the rough,” the 25-year-old said with a grin.
UP will resume still 407 behind, burdened but not beaten.
