Karnataka and Mumbai settled for a draw as the Elite Group-A Ranji Trophy match at the KSCA Stadium drew to a close here on Friday.
Having started 276 runs ahead, the host declared an hour-and-a-half into the day, setting Mumbai a 366-run target from a minimum of 71 overs. K. V. Siddharth (71 n.o., 125b, 6X4, 1X6), who was later adjudged the Man-of-the-Match, continued his fine form, as Karnataka scored at more than five-an-over to give itself a shot at victory.
The visitor, though, thwarted Karnataka’s attempt, with Suryakumar Yadav (53 n.o., 118b, 8X4) playing an uncharacteristically slow but crucial innings. By the time shadows lengthened, Mumbai had got to 173 for four and both captains decided to call truce with seven mandatory overs and 30 minutes of play left.
Seeds of doubt
Early on, if the dismissal of opener Jay Bista — caught by wicketkeeper B. R. Sharath off Abhimanyu Mithun — robbed Mumbai of some attacking thrust at the top, No. 5 batsman and crisis-man Siddhesh Lad getting out cheaply just after tea sowed more than a few seeds of doubt. But Suryakumar and Aditya Tare (29, 65b, 4x4) — who survived a close leg-before shout from speedster Prasidh Krishna — resisted for more than an hour to salvage a point.
It was, however, a result which left Karnataka happier of the two sides. Three points each from the opening two games against defending champion Vidarbha and heavyweight Mumbai are rewards Shreyas Gopal, the stand-in captain, said he would take any day.
Read: Hyderabad picks three points in draw against Delhi
“I would take six [points],” he said after the match. “On this batting-friendly wicket to play against Mumbai and get a lead…. They are a very formidable batting side and we are a very young team. A lot of our players haven’t even played 10 Ranji Trophy matches. We fought really well even in the last game. We stood a chance to win but the wicket was deteriorating so we had to hold back.”
On his part, Dhawal Kulkarni, the Mumbai captain, while lauding his bowlers, called on the batsmen to apply themselves better. “The batsmen need to step up,” he said. “The fast bowlers did a brilliant job on this kind of a wicket. The batsmen could have done better. We could have learnt from the Karnataka batsmen.”
Karnataka will next play Maharashtra in Mysuru starting next Wednesday while Mumbai takes on Gujarat at home.
- Karnataka 400 and 170 for 5 dec. (K. V. Siddharth 71 n.o.) drew with Mumbai 205 and 173 for 4 (Suryakumar Yadav 53 n.o.).
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