Even skipper Yere Goud, declared the man of the final for his doughty knock, would agree that he should have shared the award with Vinoo Prasad. On Tuesday, Prasad had helped Karnataka State Cricket Association XI reach a fighting 265, raising 66 alongside Goud while contributing 29 himself.

In a match where the pendulum swung viciously back and forth, Prasad played a decisive role as a left-arm spinner on the final day, providing breakthroughs at crucial junctures including the last wicket of Abrar Kazi, and claiming a five-wicket haul. Kazi and number eleven S Arvind were involved in a potentially match-winning partnership of 58 when Prasad induced a stumping from an alert Thilak Naidu, who flicked off the bails in a flash with the batsman’s left foot on the line.

After surviving several anxious moments, KSCA XI breathed a sigh of relief when Kazi was dismissed, resulting in a narrow 18-run win over KSCA President’s XI in the final of the KSCA all-India invitation tournament at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

More disappointment was in store for Prasad when he was left out of the Karnataka side to play in the Buchi Babu all-India invitation tournament beginning in Chennai on Thursday.

On Wednesday, both bowlers and batsmen hogged the limelight in equal proportion at various stages. If KSCA XI got on top early through paceman R Vinay Kumar’s twin strikes, President’s XI fought back through a 54-run partnership for the third wicket between skipper Sudhindra Shinde and Rajshekar Shanbal (31, 68b, 5x4). Prasad separated the association, trapping Shanbal in front with a full toss.

Shinde found another willing ally in Sunil Raju. The tall all-rounder, who singled out off-spinner Udit Patel for special treatment, realised 61 when Shinde offered a bat-pad catch to KB Pawan at short-leg off C Raghu. Amit Verma’s vigil was terminated by an excellent diving return catch by Prasad.

Anybody’s game
At 169 for five and Shinde marshalling the chase brilliantly, it was anybody’s game. As often happens with underdogs, though, came an inexplicable collapse that saw President’s XI stumble to 189 for nine.  Raju Bhatkal, the last recognised batsman, had been dismissed for a duck off Raghu, leaving Shinde to guide his team through the crisis. The situation, however, worsened for President’s XI with their skipper too falling almost immediately.
Shinde (86, 141b, 12x4) couldn’t believe his luck when his full-blooded shot off Prasad was plucked out of thin air by Vinay, who went airborne and almost parallel to the ground at mid-off. With Prasad cleaning up Mohammad Arif, KSCA XI had all but won the match. Or so it seemed.

Kazi and Arvind weren’t ready to throw in the towel yet. Unafraid to play their strokes, the two frustrated Goud’s men with their dogged association.

While Arvind (40 n.o., 4x4, 1x6) took the rival bowlers by surprise with his unflinching attack, Kazi (18, 67b, 2x4), no muck with the bat, played the perfect foil. It was puzzling to see Goud persist with his three spinners when Vinay could have been reintroduced. It was, in the end, the sharp thinking of Naidu that bailed the seniors out of potential embarrassment.

Brief scores: KSCA XI: 265 bt KSCA President’s XI: 247 all out in 84.4 overs (Rajshekar Shanbal 31, Sudhindra Shinde 86, Sunil Raju 25, S Arvind 40 n.o.; R Vinay Kumar 2-32, Vinoo Prasad 5-38, C Raghu 3-52).