Faridabad : Jammu & Kashmir did well to force a draw against Haryana in their opening North Zone Ranji Trophy match here on Wednesday.

All credit to the J & K batsmen who played patiently to deny Haryana victory. They resumed at five for one, after being forced to follow on. Nightwatchman Vijay Sharma (58*) played in obdurate fashion and frustrated the Haryana bowlers with his defence. He played throughout the final day's play to help his team to draw the match. He faced 271 balls remained at the wicket for 369 minutes. Amit Pal Singh (35) and Kanvaljit Singh (25) played admirable supporting roles.

Sanjay Jakhar took two wickets to raise Haryana's hopes but Vijay Sharma held firm at one end. Haryana also took the new ball after 82 overs with the total 142 for four. But the J & K batsmen held on and finished with a score of 155 for four in 94 overs. They earned three points while Haryana claimed five.