Lucknow, February 17 Karnataka qualified for the Ranji Trophy final after scoring a massive 700-plus in their first innings, and then reduced Uttarakhand to 149 for 5 on the third day of the semi-final here on Tuesday.
Karnataka, who had finished Day 2 at a commanding 689 for six after batting for two full days, opted not to declare on Day 3, with overnight batsmen Ravichandran Smaran and Vidyadhar Patil continuing their innings. The team eventually ended at 736, having batted a total of 195 overs.
This move was clearly aimed not only to further demoralize the opposition but also to ensure there was no chance of losing the match, maintaining complete control.
Smaran (overnight 121 not out) and Patil (overnight 35 not out) added 28 runs to the overnight total before the former was dismissed for 135. Patil eventually reached a half-century, finishing with 54 off 114 balls. Most of his runs came from singles and twos, with two boundaries and a six to show for his efforts.
The departure of Smaran and Patil soon brought an end to the Karnataka innings, which had been built around a stellar 141 from opener KL Rahul and a commanding 232 from captain Devdutt Padikkal, setting up their dominant position in the match.
Faced with the enormous first innings total of the opposition, Uttarakhand were left reeling at 149 for 5, still needing another 587 runs to wipe out the eight-time champions' lead.
Uttarakhand's teenage right-arm pacer Aditya Rawat claimed four wickets for 154 runs, while veteran spinner Mayank Mishra bagged three scalps for 173. However, their efforts were unable to mask the overall ineffectiveness of the bowling attack, as Karnataka's batsmen dominated throughout.
Karnataka were likely to make Uttarakhand bat again and bowl them out, with two full days still remaining in the contest, giving them ample time to seal a dominant victory.
On the same pitch, Karnataka's bowlers, led by pacer Vidyadhar Patil (2/26), made quick inroads, dismissing openers Bhupen Lalwani (15) and Prashant Chopra (5) to leave Uttarakhand struggling at 37 for 2.
The pressure mounted as the score soon became 81 for 4, before a brief resistance from Lakshya Raichandani (52 not out off 166 balls) and Jagadeesha Suchith (21) added 43 runs for the fifth wicket, taking them to 124.
However, their fightback was cut short when Suchith was clean-bowled by Indian pacer Prasidh Krishna, leaving Uttarakhand in tatters at 124 for 5. However, Lakshya and Saurabh Rawat (10 not out) survived the rest of the day, ensuring Uttarakhand will bat again tomorrow with their hopes still hanging by a thread.
Brief Scores:
Karnataka: 736 (KL Rahul 141, Devdutt Padikkal 232, Karun Nair 60, Ravichandran Smaran 145, Kruthik Krishna 60, Vidyadhar Patil 54; Aditya Rawat 4/154, Mayank Mishra 3/173).
Uttarakhand 149 for 5 in 69 overs (Lakshya Raichandani 52 not out; Vidyadhar Patil 2/26).
