Mayank Agarwal stands between Jammu & Kashmir and history. The Karnataka’s opening batter struck an unbeaten century to keep his side afloat in the Ranji Trophy final at the KSCA Stadium in Hubli on Thursday.
At stumps on the third day, Karnataka were battling it out at 220 for five. Mayank was batting on 130 (207 balls; 17×4) and giving him company was Kruthik Krishna on 27 (75 balls; 2×4). The hosts’ hopes now rest on the broad shoulders of Mayank, while the visitors will be hoping that the early morning conditions will help them prise out a wicket or two.
For the last three days, Jammu & Kashmir, who are playing their first Ranji Trophy final in over 60 years of playing the tournament, have turned the script upside down. They were expected to be at the receiving end against the eight-time champions but the visitors have continued to defy the odds and are now firmly in the driver’s seat. With Karnataka still 364 runs behind Jammu & Kashmir’s first innings score of 584, the odds are now stacked in favour of the team from the Himalayas.
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Unless Mayank can conjure up some more magic with the rest of the batters, Karnataka are staring down the barrel. Auqib Nabi did the early damage as he took three of the four wickets to fall as Karnataka were left reeling at 57 for four.
On a surface that hardly showed signs of breaking up just yet, Nabi’s accuracy, late movement and relentlessness cracked the game open to turn the finale decisively towards J&K. In an incredible second spell with a ball that hadn’t yet lost its sheen, his wickets of Rahul, Karun and R Smaran, the season’s highest run-scorer, in the space of four overs on either side of lunch left Karnataka in tatters at 57 for 4.
Nabi first got rid of KL Rahul (13) and then he added the scalps of Karun Nair (0) and Ravichandran Smaran (0). Sunil Kumar, in the meanwhile, had sent back skipper Devdutt Padikkal (11).
Mayank holds the fort resolutely
Thereafter, it was Mayank who held the centerstage. After the early burst of wickets, Jammu & Kashmir found it hard to get past the batters. It was not surprising considering the slow nature of the wicket. However, the Jammu & Kashmir bowlers kept a disciplined line and length and waited for the batters to commit a mistake.
Mayank added 105 runs for the fifth wicket with Shreyas Gopal (27) to rescue the Karnataka innings. The opener dug in with steely resolve across the next two sessions to make a resolute unbeaten 130, his 21st first-class century, to keep Karnataka alive in the contest. He found an unlikely but vital ally in rookie wicketkeeper Kruthik Krishna. Together, they negotiated 20.4 tense overs.
Jammu & Kashmir grind their way to 526 for six even as Karnataka bowlers’ struggle
Earlier, having already picked up three wickets across the first two days, Prasidh began by dismissing Abid Mushtaq with a bumper that he miscued to mid-on for 28. Then in his next over, he had Nabi nick off for 2. Expecting a short ball, Nabi decided to duck, only for this to be speared full as the ball took the edge of his dangling bat to the wicketkeeper.
By the time Yudhvir Singh was run out to be the last man dismissed, J&K had added 57 to their overnight total, finishing with 584. Prasidh aside, each of the other frontline bowlers had one wicket apiece. Vyshak perhaps the unluckiest of the lot, finished with 1 for 75, the wicket of Sahil Lotra for 72 as he top-edged a bouncer to fine leg, off 34 overs.
SCOREBOARD
Jammu & Kashmir (1st Innings): Qamran Iqbal c Rahul b Prasidh 6, Yawer Hussain c Rahul b Prasidh 88, Shubham Pundir c sub (Aneesh) b Patil 121, Paras Dogra b Gopal 70, Abdul Samad c Krishna b Prasidh 61, Kanhaiya Wadhawan c Rahul b Shetty 70, Sahil Lotra c Patil b Vyshak 72, Abid Mushtaq c Padikkal b Prasidh 28, Auqib Nabi c Krishna b Prasidh 2, Yudhvir Singh (run out-Padikkal) 30; Extras: (B14, LB16, W5) 35. Total: (all out in 173.1 overs) 584.
Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-157, 3-303, 4-307, 5-417, 6-471, 7-539, 8-543, 9-573.
Bowling: Vidyadhar Patil 32-2-116-1, Vijaykumar Vyshak 34-10-75-1, Prasidh Krishna 34.1-7-98-5, Shreyas Gopal 34-2-139-1, Shikhar Shetty 37-3-125-1, Karun Nair 2-1-1-0.
Karnataka (1st Innings): KL Rahul c Wadhawan b Nabi 13, Mayank Agarwal (batting) 130, Devdutt Padikkal c Samad b Kumar 11, Karun Nair b Nabi 0, R Smaran c Wadhawan b Nabi 0, Shreyas Gopal lbw Yudhvir 27, Kruthik Krishna (batting) 27; Extras: (LB2, NB10) 12. Total: (For five wickets in 69 overs) 220.
Fall of wickets: 1-27 2-56, 3-57, 4-57, 5-162.
Bowling: Auqib Nabi 14-3-32-3, Sunil Kumar 14-3-45-1, Yudhvir Singh 10-3-32-1, Abid Mushtaq 20-2-62-0, Sahil Lotra 9-0-42-0, Abdul Samad 2-0-5-0.
