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Ranji Trophy: More strikes power Karnataka after Kerala rout

Vidarbha stormed into the final after thrashing Kerala inside two days while in the second semifinal, Ronit More's five-wicket haul has put Karnataka on top against Saurashtra.

Updated : Jan 25, 2019 17:18 IST

Jaydev Unadkat celebrates after dismissing Karnataka skipper Manish Pandey.
Jaydev Unadkat celebrates after dismissing Karnataka skipper Manish Pandey.
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Jaydev Unadkat celebrates after dismissing Karnataka skipper Manish Pandey.

 

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Kar vs Sau: More dismisses Makvana (1) and that would be a five-wicket haul for him at the end of second day's play. Saurashtra 227/7 at stumps and trail Karnataka (275) by 48 runs. Surely, Ronit More has surely turned things around for the host.

Kar vs Sau: Ronit More on a roll as he picks two in two overs. He first takes out a well-set Sheldon Jackson for 46 and then snares Prerak Mankad for a duck. Saurashtra 223/6 and trail by 52 runs.

Kar vs Sau: Krishnappa Gowtham appeals to the umpire to change the ball. The umpire uses the ball gauge and clears the air. Karnataka not happy. Saurashtra 222-4.

Kar vs Sau: Pitched up, half-volley and dispatched by Arpit Vasavada. A lovely boundary.

Kar vs Sau: Saurashtra 217-4. Arpit Vasavada and Sheldon Jackson going strong. It is still trailing by 58 runs.

Kar vs Sau: Saurashtra still trains by 62 runs. Arpit Vasavada and Sheldon Jackson are trying to steady the ship. There is decent amount of grass on the surface but it has still been abressive. Saurashtra 213-4.

Kar vs Sau: Arpit Vasavada, the new batsman, gently pushes a delivery from Mithun through the extra-cover region, and gets a boundary. The ball teased the chasing fielder until the last moment.

Kar vs Sau: But Mithun has the last laugh. Pujara attempts a pull off a short-of-a-length delivery that doesn't bounce very much. He top-edges and is caught by the bowler himself. Joyful Karnataka team-mates surround him. Pujara departs for 45, Saurashtra four down for 178.

Kar vs Sau: Two flicks off two consecutive deliveries from Pujara, off the bowling of Mithun. One through fine leg — does not result in a boundary as Vinay Kumar puts in a dive — and the other, a boundary through square leg.

Kar vs Sau: Out of nowhere, Jackson comes down the track to Gowtham, and with a mighty swing of the bat clears the deep midwicket fielder for a six. He moves on to 20. Saurashtra 167 for 3.

Kar vs Sau: Jackson survives a scare — he nearly gets out pulling a short delivery from fast bowler Abhimanyu Mithun. The ball bounces just in front of the fielder at square leg, K. Gowtham.

Kar vs Sau: Sheldon Jackson, wearing a cap, arrives to bat. He is the new batsman. He opens his account with a double, turning Gowtham's delivery to leg. In the same over, he punishes a short delivery to register his first four.

Kar vs Sau: Patel had been collecting his runs only in boundaries, and looked assured at the crease. But against the run of play, off what seemed an innocuous delivery, he gets out. Trying to play a pull off a short delivery from Gopal, he inside-edges behind and is luckily caught by the wicketkeeper. It ends a pretty innings of 85.

Patel had a look of disbelief after his dismissal. It came right at the time of the tea break, too. Pujara, while walking back with him, pats him on the back. Saurashtra 137 for 3 after 45 overs, trails by 138 runs.

Kar vs Sau: Another four from Patel, this time a sweep fine on the leg side off leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal. Patel moves on to 67, Saurashtra 115 for 2. The partnership between Patel and Pujara is now 52.

Kar vs Sau: Patel plays another sweep off Gowtham, and collects another boundary, this time through square leg. It takes him to 63.

Kar vs Sau: Patel plays a sweep to fine leg off K. Gowtham for a boundary. In response, the short fine-leg fielder goes to the boundary. Three more runs taken off the 36th over, it's 100 for 2.

 

Kar vs Sau: Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Snell Patel reaches his half-century. To celebrate, Pujara flicks Vinay Kumar to collect a boundary through square leg.

 

Vidarbha beats Kerala by an innings and 11 runs to qualify for the final. Vidarbha 208; Kerala 106 & 91.

 

WICKET - Karnataka strikes and it's Ronit More who provides the breakthrough. Harvik Desai was tentative right from the start and this time goes for an expansive shot only for the ball to an outside edge and Manish Pandey at second slip takes a sharp catch. Saurashtra 43/1.

Jalaj Saxena departs.  Umesh Yadav bags his eighth wicket of the match. Kerala 29/1. Trails by 73 runs.

Vidarbha all out 208. Leads by 102 runs.

Saurashtra bowls out Karnataka for 275. Wicket-keeper batsman S. Sharath carries his bat through with an unbeaten 83. Saurashtra would be little disappointed after it had Karnataka on the mat early on Day one leaving the home side tottering at 30/4. However, Manish Pandey (62) and Shreyas Gopal (87) staged a wonderful fightback with a 106-run stand. Then Sharath took the onus on himself and batted sensibly with the tail to help Karnataka post a decent first innings total. The wicket is not easy to bat and the Karnataka bowlers will hope to exploit the conditions. 

Saurashtra bowlers are bowling a tight line and although runs are not coming thick and fast, the last pair of S. Sharath and Ronit More have managed to hang in. Saurashtra's search for the last wicket continues. Karnataka 274/9.

 

Meanwhile, S Sharath and Ronit More have kept the Saurashtra bowlers at bay. Jaydev Unadkat has hit his straps but the visitor is yet to bundle out Karnataka. Valuable contribution from Sharath who is batting on 80. Karnataka 272/9.

 

Good morning and welcome to Sportstar's live updates of the Ranji Trophy semifinals between Vidarbha vs Kerala and Saurashtra vs Karnataka that promises to be a cracker of a contest.

Our correspondents Ayan Acharya and Wriddhaayan Bhattacharyya will bring you live updates from Krishnagiri Stadium, Wayanad and M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru respectively.

Before heading into Day 2 take a look at how Day one progressed.

Left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat proved his brain behind his wickets as he rattled the Karnataka top-order with a set plan in the first innings of the Ranji Trophy semifinal. Report

Umesh Yadav recorded his career-best domestic figures as Vidarbha bundled Kerala out for 106 on day one of Ranji Trophy semifinal. Report

Can Dav Whatmore help Kerala clinch its first-ever Ranji Trophy final berth? The real challenge would be to treat the semifinal as any other game, says the head coach. Report

Ranji Trophy Semifinals Day 1: As it happened

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Vid vs Ker: Kerala pacers chipping away quick wickets as the day comes to close. Basil Thampi strikes to remove new man Rajneesh Gurbani for a duck, second catch for Azharuddeen. Sandeep Warrier, sends back the set Atharva Taide (23 off 46 balls) in the next over. Vidarbha 171/5

Vid vs Ker: Mohammed Azharuddeen latches on to a catch to dismiss Faiz Fazal for 75 in Sandeep Warrier's bowling. Vidarbha 170/3.

Kar vs Sau: One run off the final over of the day. Karnataka 264 for 9.

Kar vs Sau: Four wickets, and now a catch. It's been Jaydev Unadkat's day today. At mid-off, he takes a straightforward catch to dismiss Abhimanyu Mithun. Mithun, attempting a slog sweep off Makwana, gets a top-edge and departs for 4. Karnataka nine down, for 258. Two overs left in the day.

Vid vs Ker: In Wayanad, Vidarbha reaches 150. The lead is 44, with eight wickets in the bag.

Kar vs Sau: And it's paid dividends for the away team. Dharmendrasinh Jadeja gets one to sneak through Vinay Kumar to disturb the furniture. Vinay Kumar, inexplicably, tried a big heave and paid the price. Karnataka is eight down now, in the 85th over. Karnataka 251 for 8, Abhimanyu Mithun is the new batsman.

Kar vs Sau: The last 10 minutes have been dry in terms of scoring. The new ball is due but Saurashtra seems to prefer not to take it for now, and instead, have spinners plough on with the old ball.

Kar vs Sau: Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, Karnataka loses its seventh wicket. K. Gowtham is dismissed by Kamlesh Makwana for 2. Karnataka 238 for 7 in the 78th over.

Vid vs Ker: Taide collects another boundary. He plays a cracking stroke through extra-cover off Nidheesh.

Kar vs Sau: Shreyas Gopal departs for 87. He is bowled by Kamlesh Makwana. Karnataka 232 for 6.

Vid vs Ker: Taide slices Warrier square through the off-side to collect another boundary. After 29 overs, it's 130 for 2.

Vid vs Ker: It's a half-century for Faiz Fazal. The Vidarbha captain reaches the landmark with a smooth straight-drive.

Vid vs Ker: Taide is off the mark with a flick off his legs for a boundary.

Vid vs Ker: The stalwart Wasim Jaffer is dismissed. Vidarbha loses its second wicket.

 

Vid vs Ker: Vidarbha is in the lead now. It seems to be a no-contest on the first day. Vidarbha 113 for 1 in the 26th over, leads by seven runs.

 

Kar vs Sau: Meanwhile, in Bengaluru, S. Sharath has brought up his half-century. Karnataka is 261 for 5.

Vid vs Ker: Vidarbha reaches its 100, for the loss of one wicket.

Kar vs Sau: A 64-run stand for the sixth wicket between Shreyas Gopal (71*) and S. Sharath (40*) has seen Karnataka reach 200 for 5.

Kar vs Sau: Shreyas Gopal (63*) and S. Sharath (34*) have brought up their 50-run stand for the sixth wicket. Karnataka 186/5.

Ker vs Vid: M.D. Nidheesh draws first blood for Kerala. He castles R, Sanjay for 19 (28 balls, 4x4) and Vidarbha loses its first wicket for 33, trailing Kerala by 68 runs.

Read: Umesh Yadav records career-best domestic figures

Kar vs Sau: Shreyas Gopal scores a 50. His eighth in first-class cricket. The 50 has come in 95 balls with seven fours. Karnataka 138/5.

Kar vs Sau: Who else apart from the captain to break the partnership? Jaydev Unadkat castles Manish Pandey, with a ball that just pitched just behind the good length area, for 62 and Karnataka is 136/5. Unadkat has figures of 8.2-3-25-4 now.

Kar vs Sau: Manish Pandey and Shreyas Gopal have added 102 runs for the fifth wicket and have bailed Karnataka out of trouble. 132/4.

 

 

Ker vs Vid: Kerala loses its ninth wicket as Umesh Yadav castles Sandeep Warrier. Kerala 101/9 after 28 overs. Seven wickets for Umesh Yadav.

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Umesh Yadav returned with a seven-wicket haul for Vidarbha against Kerala.

Kar vs Sau: That will be Lunch on Day 1 and Karnataka has recovered after Saurashtra made early inroads. From 30/4, the pair of Manish Pandey and Shreyas Gopal kept the opposition at bay with an unbeaten 98-run stand. At Lunch, Karnataka 128/4.

Kar vs Sau: 29th first-class 50 for Manish Pandey. He is on 51 off just 48 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes. Karnataka 109/4.

Ker vs Vid: Umesh Yadav is breathing fire here. Six wickets for him. Basil Thampi joins the procession. He is caught by Akshay Wadkar off Umesh for 10 and Kerala down in the dumps at 71/8. The India speedster has figures of 9-1-33-6 now.

Our correspondent Amol Karhadkar has some stat:

 

Ker vs Vid: Five-wickets for Umesh Yadav. He removes Jalaj Saxena for 7 and Kerala in tatters at 55/7. Umesh now has figures of 7.2-1-21-5.

Kar vs Sau: Manish Pandey and Shreyas Gopal bring the 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Karnataka 80/4.

Kar vs Sau: Manish Pandey (32 off 23 balls) and Shreyas Gopal (13 off 30 balls) have added 40 runs for the fifth wicket as Karnataka moves to 70/4.

Ker vs Vid: K.B. Arun Karthik (4) and Sachin Baby (22) depart in quick succession to leave Kerala gasping for breath at 46/6. Umesh Yadav has picked up four wickets while Gurbani has snared the other two. Jalaj Saxena and Vishu Vinod have an uphill task on hand.

Kar vs Sau: Karun Nair perishes. Chetan Sakariya induces an edge and Snell Patel makes no mistake behind the wickets. Karun is out for 9 (22 balls, 1x4) and Karnataka wobbling at 30/4.

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Jaydev Unadkat's opening spell has put the Karnataka batsmen on the backfoot.
 

Ker vs Vid: Kerala in trouble at 28/4. It is the turn of Vinoop Manoharan to walk back to the hut (0, 4 balls), caught by Faiz Fazal in the slip cordon off Umesh Yadav. This has been a terrific start by the defending champion.

Ker vs Vid: Rajneesh Gurbani removes P. Rahul for 9 (29 balls, 2x4), caught by Faiz Fazal, and Kerala in tatters at 27/3.

Kar vs Sau: Terrific bowling from Jaydev Unadkat. He gets the big wicket of Mayank Agarwal. He rolls his fingers and the ball is a tad slower, Mayank induced into the shot on the up, gets to the ball a tad late, only manages an edge and the keeper makes no mistake. Mayank 2 (30 balls), Karnataka in trouble at 19/3.

Ker vs Vid: Umesh Yadav sends the in-form Sijumon Joseph back for no score. That is a big wicket for Vidarbha. He is caught by Sanjay Ramaswamy and Kerala 21/2.

Kar vs Sau: Jaydev Unadkat strikes again. K.V. Siddharth has no clue to an inswinging full length ball from the seamer. The batsman tried to whip it on the on-side and the ball thuds on to the pads and the umpire raises his finger in an instant. Siddharth is out for 12 and Karnataka 14/2.

Kar vs Sau: A couple of LBW shouts from the Saurashtra bowlers. The umpires aren't interested and the replays show that Mayank Agarwal is just lucky. The ball might have clipped the stumps. Karnataka batsmen need to apply themselves in to counter the new ball and the session. 10/1.

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Mohammed Azharuddeen walks back to the hut after offering a catch to Yash Thakur off Umesh Yadav.
 

Ker vs Vid: Umesh Yadav strikes. Mohammed Azharuddeen is caught by Yash Thakur, at mid-on, off Umesh for 8 (8 balls, 1x4) and Kerala is 9/1 in 3.2 overs.

Kar vs Sau: What a start for Saurashtra. Jaydev Unadkat traps R. Samarth infront in the third ball of the innings. Karnataka loses its first wicket for no score. 0/1. K.V. Siddharth joins Mayank Agarwal in the middle.

Here are the playing XIs of Kerala and Vidarbha.

 

 

Here are the 22 men who would be slugging it out in Bengaluru.

 

 

Here are the toss updates:

At Bengaluru, Karnataka has won the toss and it will bat first.

At Wayanad, Faiz Fazal has won the toss and Vidarbha will bowl first. Not surprising at all!

Missed the action previously, not to fret, here are the previews.

Kerala vs Vidarbha

Karnataka vs Saurashtra

It is time for the four best teams in India's domestic cricket to slug it out for the top honours. Yes, it is time for the Ranji Trophy semifinals and we have you covered with all the updates and happenings.

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