JOIN USUthappa livens up final day
Punjab’s reluctance to force the issue can be debated, but truth to tell, they had very little chance of bowling out Karnataka in the fourth innings in less than a day. Uday Kaul’s men understandably chose to bat on till well past lunch on the final day of the Ranji Trophy Group A encounter, only applying the closure when the skipper brought up his second century in three matches.
By the time Kaul (100 n.o., 328m, 248b, 11x4) decided he had had enough, Punjab had translated their overnight 119 for three to 274 for eight, an overall advantage of 350. Set an unrealistic 351 in a minimum of 49 overs, Karnataka had surged to 157 for one in 34 when play was mercifully called off before the final hour, though Robin Uthappa did offer wholesome entertainment with a spectacular half-century.
The three points earned by virtue of their 76-run first-innings lead cemented Punjab’s third position in the group with 17 points, while Karnataka boosted their tally by one to continue to top with 21 points going into the final set of matches starting Wednesday. Karnataka face fourth-placed Uttar Pradesh in Shimoga, while Punjab will be entertained by Mumbai, second in the standings.
The onus had been on Punjab to do the running, given that they needed the points more than their hosts, but the placidity of the surface prevented them from setting a challenging target. Not even the absence from the bowling attack of S Arvind and Stuart Binny encouraged the visitors to cut loose, especially after the sparkling Mayank Sidhana (73, 162m, 131b, 11x4) was run out by a smart piece of fielding by Amit Verma at mid-off half an hour into the day.
Despite the fortuitous breakthrough, Karnataka’s bowlers failed to make any impression. Left-arm spinner KP Appanna wheeled away unchanged from the far end before lunch, sending down one unthreatening over after another until finally finding success in his 29th, trapping Amitoze Singh in front on the sweep. Appanna’s recent form -- he has taken just eight wickets in the last four games after having begun the season brightly with 17 in the first two -- ought to be a huge source of concern for the think-tank, though in his defence, he has bowled in unhelpful conditions.
Even so, and especially with the prolific pace trio of R Vinay Kumar, A Mithun and S Arvind unavailable for a while, the young man’s lack of penetration is an unwelcome development.
NC Aiyappa, on the other hand, was excellent on his comeback, bowling with fire and purpose and feeding off the uneven bounce with his sustained accuracy. In his first game for nearly three years, the paceman had match figures of seven for 118 from 45.3 overs, four of them coming in the second innings.
With only the Aiyappa threat to counter, Kaul moved serenely, if somewhat slowly, towards his ninth first-class ton. The left-hander, dropped by Ganesh Satish at mid-wicket off Aiyappa when 84, essentially thrives on the pleasing cover-drive and the delicate nip-steer to third-man. He rode on those very strokes to complete a patient, at times painstaking century that should do his confidence a world of good.
Confidence has never been an issue with Uthappa. Despite being dismissed first ball in the first innings, he walked out full of beans, striking the ball long and hard down the straight field and showing Punjab exactly what punishment they had escaped earlier in the game. It was exhilarating stuff, just about the lone bright spark on an otherwise ordinaryday.