3 months ago
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At the extremity of different topsy-turvy day, Karnataka finished connected 255 for six, successful effect to Punjab’s 309, astatine the I.S. Bindra PCA Stadium present connected Friday.
But to suffice for the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy knock-outs from Elite Group-B, Karnataka (21 points) needs much than conscionable the first-innings lead, for Saurashtra (19) is connected people for a large triumph implicit Chandigarh, and a effect looks progressively apt successful the lucifer involving Madhya Pradesh (22) and Maharashtra (24).
When K.L. Rahul (59, 87b, 9x4) and Mayank Agarwal (46, 64b, 6x4) were batting, the visitors looked precise overmuch similar the men susceptible of forcing that result. After pacer Vidyadhar Patil excised the past Punjab wicket successful the precise archetypal implicit of the morning, Rahul and Mayank batted with condemnation and ease.
There were the unusual instances of the brace not picking limb balls from the left-arm rotation duo of Harpreet Brar and Emanjot Chahal, but they were mostly comfortable. And it showed successful the shots they played — pleasing drives, inch-perfect cuts and fierce consecutive hits aft dancing down the track.
Brilliant efforts
But 2 moments of brilliance from Punjab sent some batters back. First, Jashanpreet Singh astatine silly-point latched connected to a full-blooded thrust from Mayank before Harpreet executed a classical left-armer’s dismissal by uprooting Rahul’s middle-stump.
Post-lunch, Harpreet (four for 101) struck doubly successful speedy succession, having skipper Devdutt Padikkal (9) caught astatine short-leg — the southpaw’s 3rd consecutive debased people successful whites — and trapping R. Smaran (9) leg-before.
K.V. Aneesh, aft having done each the hard enactment (32, 75b, 3x4), fell trying a cross-batted slog to permission Karnataka astatine 166 for five.
But the seasoned Shreyas Gopal (42 batting, 124b, 3x4) and debutant Kruthik Krishna (28, 83b, 2x4, 1x6) stonewalled to a faultless degree, coming unneurotic for 47 runs disconnected 153 balls.
The erstwhile past combined for 42 unbroken runs with Vidyadhar, a concern the eight-time champion would privation to turn beyond Punjab’s reach.
The scores: Punjab — 1st innings: Abhijeet Garg c Rahul b Shreyas 81, Prabhsimran Singh c Shikhar b Vidyadhar 5, Uday Saharan c Rahul b Mohsin 44, Jashanpreet Singh c Mohsin b Shreyas 6, Anmolpreet Singh b Shreyas 0, Anmol Malhotra c Kruthik b Vidyadhar 25, Emanjot Singh Chahal c Padikkal b Vidyadhar 83, Ayush Goyal st. Kruthik b Mohsin 23, Harpreet Brar c Kruthik b Vidyadhar 9, Sukhdeep Bajwa b Prasidh 20, Anmoljeet Singh (not out) 0; Extras: (lb-12, w-1): 13; Total (in 92 overs): 309.
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-108, 3-119, 4-119, 5-168, 6-168, 7-249, 8-272, 9-301.
Karnataka bowling: Prasidh 14-1-58-1, Vidyadhar 16-4-52-4, Shikhar 15-2-54-0, Mohsin 25-0-85-2, Shreyas 22-6-48-3.
Karnataka — 1st innings: K.L. Rahul b Harpreet 59, Mayank Agarwal c Jashanpreet b Emanjot 46, K.V. Aneesh c Prabhsimran b Harpreet 32, Devdutt Padikkal c Jashanpreet b Harpreet 9, R. Smaran lbw b Harpreet 9, Shreyas Gopal (batting) 42, Kruthik Krishna lbw b Bajwa 28, Vidyadhar Patil (batting) 23; Extras: (b-2, lb-5): 7; Total (for six wkts. successful 87 overs): 255.
Fall of wickets: 1-102, 2-119, 3-137, 4-151, 5-166, 6-213.
Punjab bowling: Goyal 3-1-8-0, Bajwa 10-6-22-1, Harpreet 27-3-101-4, Emanjot 23-6-55-1, Anmoljeet 23-5-55-0, Saharan 1-0-7-0.
