Uthappa enlivens drab final day
It was a singularly unedifying day’s cricket at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Friday, largely because not even a fourth-day track could redress the unequal balance between bat and ball.
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.
NC Aiyappa 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.
Score Board
PUNJAB (I Innings): 357 all out in 114.3 overs
KARNATAKA (I Innings): 281 all out in 92.4overs
PUNJAB (II Innings, O/n: 119/3): Sarul Kanwar (run out) 23, Ravi Inder Singh b Aiyappa 2, Karan Goel c Pawan b Raju 12, Uday Kaul (not out) 100, Mayank Sidhana (run out) 73, Amitoze Singh lbw Appanna 31, Bipul Sharma b Aiyappa 1, Rahul Sharma b Aiyappa 20, Harmeet Singh b Aiyappa 0, Rajvinder Singh (not out) 7. Extras (B-1, LB-2, NB-2) 5. Total (for 8 wkts decl, 87.2 overs) 274.
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-34, 3-37, 4-141, 5-211, 6-222, 7-255, 8-255.
Bowling: NC Aiyappa 23-6-69-4, Robin Uthappa 3-0-15-0, Sunil Raju 24.2-2-81-1, KP Appanna 35-8-106-1, Amit Verma 2-2-0-0.
KARNATAKA (II Innings): Robin Uthappa b Rahul 68, KB Pawan (not out) 57, Ganesh Satish (not out) 11. Extras (B-15, LB-1, Penalty 5) 21. Total (for 1 wkt, 34 overs) 157.
Fall of wicket: 1-104.
Bowling: Harmeet Singh 6-0-22-0, Baltej Singh 10-1-42-0, Rajvinder Singh 4-0-18-0, Rahul Sharma 9-0-42-1, Bipul Sharma 4-0-12-0, Sarul Kanwar 1-1-0-0.
