The scorecard will reflect a competent top-order performance that helped India B master the chase. But the total of 279, which gave the winning team temporary jitters at various phases in the chase, could have been a lot more had it not been for Umesh Yadav's pretty and effective opening spell, and Khaleel Ahmed's three wickets.
Although Karnataka came back well to make a match of it, this dent proved to be costly. It lost its first match of the tourney, but it's the all important one in the context - the final.
Easwaran, Iyer, Tiwary and Gaikwad all scored half-centuries as India B strolled through to the target. It upended a spirited effort from R. Samarth, who continued his good form with another century.
That's it from us; until the next sparkling cricket occasion, goodbye.
Overs 48.2: India B 281.4 (TARGET 280)
A smartly-paced run-chase via a collective effort gives India B the DEODHAR TROPHY TITLE .
A string of singles does the job, interrupted by Iyer's wicket. Iyer attempted an ugly lofted stroke through the off-side and was caught at deep point.
He departs for 61 (off 69 deliveries).
En route to the win, Tiwary reaches his own fifty.
Overs 45: India B 260 for 3 (TARGET 280)
The batsmen have strolled through to what is a supreme position without pressing the accelerator. They have been content at milking the bowling to keep themselves afloat before stylish strokes from Tiwary gives them the upper hand.
Prasidh Krishna is hit for a couple of sweetly-timed boundaries - a flick and a drive - and Tiwary collects a couple of boundaries off Binny, too.
India B requires 20 from 30 balls.
Overs 40: India B 220 for 3 (TARGET 280)
Flicks, punches, guides and glances - a cycle of these is enough for India B to get to its target. And this is what Iyer and Tiwary are doing. Many of the fielders are positioned deep and therefore singles and even twos are easy to come by.
Gowtham bowls a frugal over, but the required run-rate is not a worry for India B. Iyer makes a delightful cut off Mithun to relieve the pressure a bit, and reach his half-century .
Overs 35: India B 198 for 3 (TARGET 280)
More is back into the attack, to perhaps try to wrest the initiative now that a wicket has been taken. But it makes no difference, he is played with ease by the set Iyer. A stylish pull shot is especially indicative of Iyer's confidence.
Gopal may have claimed Easwaran's wicket, but he hasn't suddenly become hard to play. The new man Manoj Tiwary also seems comfortable in the middle.
Overs 32.4: India B 186 for 3 (TARGET 280)
Shreyas Iyer plays a delightful cut to leave Gopal exasperated. But not for too long, as Easwaran is bowled! The ball was too full for Easwaran to play a pull. He departs for 69 (off 82 balls).
It is a relief for Karnataka, which has had the contest slipping away for a long time now.
Overs 30: India B 171 for 2 (TARGET 280)
Easwaran reaches his personal milestone - a half-century . It's been a responsible, solid knock from the diminutive opener. And he celebrates it with a sparkling drive through extra cover for four off an overpitched delivery from Gopal.
The jitters have gone; Shreyas Iyer, the new man, and Easwaran have both scored boundaries. Stuart Binny, who is introduced into the attack, is attacked for 12 runs. One of the boundaries scored was via a misfield at the boundary - the ball slips through scrambling Deshpande's fingers.
India B regains its upper hand in the contest.
Overs 25: India B 126 for 2 (TARGET 280)
The spinners keep a tight leash on both batsmen, and it pays off! Karnataka badly needed a wicket to bring itself back into the contest. Gopal bowls a long-hop and Vihari smashes him straight to short mid-wicket. He's out for 21.
The pressure was on. Gopal had beaten the set Easwaran, and a stumping appeal was referred to the third umpire.
Only 15 runs are scored off five overs.
Overs 20: India B 111 for 1 (TARGET 280)
Spinners into the attack now - leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal and Gowtham. Runs arrive in singles. Easwaran suffers a distraction in what has otherwise been a vigilant knock so far, when, attempting a reverse-sweep, he almost gets out. The leading edge falls just short of short fine-leg.
Later, he cuts Gowtham fiercely through backward point for four.
Overs 15: India B 87 for 1 (TARGET 280)
Off-spinner K. Gowtham bowls a quiet over to Easwaran and Hanuma Vihari, the new batsman. Will the wicket prove to be a minor blip in the torrent of runs to follow?
Overs 13.4 India B 84 for 1 (TARGET 280)
A wicket, out of the blue! More dismisses the ominous Gaikwad for 58 . Gaikwad attempts a slash off a short delivery outside off-stump, edges it behind.
More, otherwise, seemed an easy prey and especially targetted for attack; an easy flick off the legs off the medium-pacer by Gaikwad cleared the ground. The openers seemed confident as runs were easy to come by. Gaikwad reached his fifty via a strong cut through backward point for four.
It was a complete contrast to the start of Karnataka's own innings; fast bowlers had created the early inroads. But More has interrupted the proceedings.
Overs 10: India B 59 for 0 (TARGET 280)
In the middle of humdrum proceedings arrives medium-pacer Ronit More, and the scenario changes quickly. More is hit for three fours in his first over — two through backward point and one through mid-wicket — and one in his next over. Krishna continues to bowl - he'd given away 18 runs off 4.5 overs, before the innings' first six (a pull) damages his figures a touch.
Overs 5: India B 25 for 0 (TARGET 280)
Fast bowlers Abhimanyu Mithun and Prasidh Krishna have bowled with control to disallow India B's openers — Ruturaj Gaikwad and Abhimanyu Easwaran — to get off to a rapid start to the chase. Four fours have been struck, one of them a nice flick off the pads and another a miscued stroke beyond the head of mid-off.
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The final score underlines a competent recovery act by Karnataka after the loss of early wickets. The key partnership of 132 runs between R. Samarth (102, 120b, 8X4, 1X6) and C. M. Gautam (76, 84b, 6X4, 2X6) allowed the momentum to shift, after which Shreyas Gopal added his final touches to increase the run-rate.
Umesh Yadav and Khaleel Ahmed were the most effective bowlers for India B, taking three wickets between them and maintaining an economy rate of less than five per over. The spinners did not account for any wicket, and offie Jayant Yadav proved profligate, a weakling on the day in the attack.
However, the target of 280 isn't out of bounds, especially for a team boasting of game-changers with the bat. Can India B waltz through to the trophy? Stay tuned to find out more.
Overs 50: Karnataka 279 for 8 (END OF INNS)
An accurate over, an over full of yorkers, helps restrict Karnataka to eight from the final over from Umesh Yadav. In the scramble for runs and much pressure on both sides, there is a misfield that goes for four, and a run-out .
Karnataka finishes on 279 for 8.
"We wanted to target the spinners, that was the plan," says C. M. Gautam, the man who rescued the innings alongside Samarth, after Karnataka was reduced to 64 for 4.
Overs 49: Karnataka 271 for 7
Samarth gives an almighty heavy, doesn't get the ball in the middle of the bat, and miscues to deep point. His long stay at the crease finally comes to an end .
He goes for 107 (120 deliveries).
Overs 48: Karnataka 263 for 6
Gopal's enterprising innings ends. With four fours and a six, he has boosted Karnataka's innings run-rate to about 5.50. He tries to play a big, lofted stroke; the ball is lofted, but not for any significance as it's miscued. The mid-on fielder takes an easy catch .
He is out for 38 off 22 balls.
Samarth brings up his century in the same over. Some form he is in; his second century in the series and third score of 50 or more in a row. Samarth's knock today is well-paced and a display of responsibility.
Overs 45: Karnataka 230 for 5
Spinners restrict the scoring for two overs, but Shreyas Gopal finally releases the pressure by playing a smart shot - a kind of paddle sweep - for a boundary to end Jayant Yadav's ninth over.
With eight overs remaining, Siddarth Kaul is brought back into the attack; the batsmen are unable to be belligerent against the seamer. Even Jayant Yadav seems hard to get away in the 45th - after struggling for five deliveries, finally a big shot. Gopal smashes the off-spinner beyond cow corner to further damage his figures.
Yadav's spell - 10-0-71-1.
Overs 40: Karnataka 200 for 5
Samarth, the man in form and now well-set in the middle, has 10 overs to help post a defendable total. But will he get a steady partner? Shreyas Gopal is the new man in. The wicket has caused the batting the quieten, with Jadeja bowling an economical 40th over.
Overs 39: Karnataka 196 for 5
The elusive wicket has finally arrived, as Jayant Yadav gets Gautam to nick one down the leg side . Gautam is out against the run of play for 76.
Spinners continue to get punished. Yadav and Jadeja were both greeted by batsmen with sixes. The innings run-rate crosses five.
Overs 35: Karnataka 170 for 4
In the 32nd over, Jayant Yadav is guided to the fine-leg region for four, and then through the third man region off a reverse-sweep for the same result. Khaleel, the fielder at short fine-leg, dived over the ball in the first instance, in what seemed to be a lackadaisical effort.
The batsmen would want to lift the run-rate. Their partnership has crossed 100 now.
An appeal for stumping off Jadeja apart, no problem for the duo.
Overs 30: Karnataka 143 for 4
Gautam gains enough confidence to smoke Jayant Yadav for the first six of the match. Gets under the ball, down on one knee, deposits it beyond cow corner.
The partnership is now 79; Samarth registers his third score of 50 or more, in the tournament. The spinners have been ineffective and relatively costly, but for once Umesh Yadav isn't as ominous.
Overs 25: Karnataka 109 for 4
A steady partnership is finally being built. Apart from an ugly hoick to the leg side and an inside edge off Kaul that evades the stumps, the batsmen have suffered no scare. The partnership between Samarth and C. M. Gautam is now 45.
Overs 20: Karnataka 81 for 4
Batsmen are content in milking singles. Khaleel turns to round the wicket, and he is still as potent. Jayant Yadav makes way for left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, neither of whom has allowed batsmen to get away.
Overs 15: Karnataka 64 for 4
Khaleel takes one more! Stuart Binny inside edges a full length delivery on to the leg stump. Binny had scored 2 off 10 deliveries, while his partner Samarth has raced to 23 off 25 balls.
The in-form batsman needs to find a steady partner now.
Overs 12.3: Karnataka 58 for 3
Crisis deepens for the batting side with Deshpande nicks one through the wicket-keeper . Went to drive a ball well outside off-stump, just left him a bit, and took the edge. Left-arm seamer Khaleel Ahmed is the bowler. The opening pair of bowler have now been replaced.
Overs 10: Karnataka 41 for 2
Samarth and Pavan Deshpande have hit three fours between them, but Karnataka is far from out of the woods. Yadav continues to beat the bat with 'oohs' from his team-mates, and even Kaul, in the 10th over, beat Deshpande all ends up with a ball that pitched on leg-stump and left the bat narrowly on the way to the wicket-keeper.
Overs 8.2: Karnataka 33 for 2
Yadav does a nice one-two; Karun Nair is first beat in the corridor via a good outswinger and then bowled via a similar delivery that went straight on. Nair, looking for the outswinger, left a gap between his bat and pad, and paid the price. Yadav has his reward in what has been a top opening spell.
Overs 5.2: Karnataka 18 for 1
The potent Mayank Agarwal departs ; he isn't prized out with bowling brilliance, but via his own carelessness at the non-strikers' end. Karun Nair's straight drive brushes the bowler Kaul's fingers and crashed into the stumps. Agarwal was backing up too far, and was way out of the crease when the ball hit the wickets. It's inconclusive whether Kaul's fingers touched the ball on its way to the wickets, but the benefit of the doubt is given to him.
The in-form R. Samarth is the next man in.
Overs 5: Karnataka 18 for 0
A relatively sedate start from Karnataka, caused by a sharp and accurate spell of three overs from Umesh Yadav. In his second over, Yadav beat Mayank Agarwal's bat thrice with three sharp outswingers in a row. That over turned out to be a maiden. Agarwal, has, however, looked comfortable against Siddharth Kaul, who has been hit for three fours.
TOSS UPDATE: Karnataka has won the toss and opted to bat .
Teams
India B : Abhimanyu Easwaran, Srikar Bharat (wk), G. H. Vihari, Shreyas Iyer (c), Manoj Tiwary, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jayant Yadav, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Umesh Yadav, Siddarth Kaul, K. Khaleel Ahmed.
Karnataka : Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair (c), Ravikumar Samarth, Pavan Deshpande, Stuart Binny, C. M. Gautam (wk), Shreyas Gopal, Krishnappa Gowtham, Abhimanyu Mithun, Prasidh Krishna, Ronit More.
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It's the day of the final; teams with points on the board — Karnataka and India B — lock horns to claim silverware to mark the end of another tourney at the business end of the domestic season.
The cool environs of Dharamsala had given us a thriller between these sides earlier this week. Manoj Tiwary's century had gone in vain as India B fell short of the target by seven runs. Can the tables be turned today?
Welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of the Deodhar Trophy.
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