Karnataka in trouble
Karnataka’s bowlers put on a clinical show to help their side get off to a brilliant start in their Buchi Babu all-India invitational tournament match against the Gujarat Cricket Association at the Sri Ramachandra Medical College grounds here on Tuesday.
Karnataka, however, had very little time to celebrate after bowling out Gujarat for 195 in 71 overs as their famed batting line-up fell by the wayside. The R Vinay Kumar-led side were staring down the barrel at 27 for four in 17 overs at close of play on day one.
Gujarat’s decision to bat after winning the toss hit them hard but it was a disciplined effort from Karnataka’s bowlers that really pushed them on to the backfoot as they bundled up for a meagre total.
After losing Samit Goel early on, it was upto Manpreet Juneja (30) and Priyank Panchal (55) to put the innings back on track, and the duo delivered as they put on a 58-run partnership for the second wicket.
Chasing a small total, Karnataka’s batsmen were expected to breeze through. Gujarat’s bowlers, however, had other plans as they bagged four wickets to leave Karnataka in a state of disarray.
Ryan Ninan (2) and Manish Pandey (0) were at the crease at close, and with 168 runs required, they would have to stick it through.
In their chase of 196, Karnataka got off to a horrid start, losing two wickets in the first ten overs.
They slipped further into trouble when they lost two more wickets in the next 5.4 overs and eventually ended the day at 27 for 4 from 17.0 overs.
Brief scores: Gujarat Cricket Association XI: 195 all out in 71 overs (Priyank Panchal 55, Manpreet Juneja 30, Bhavik Thaker 35, Bhargav Meraj 25; R Vinay Kumar 3-24, KP Appanna 3-37, Amit Verma 2-24) vs Karnataka XI: 27/4 in 17 overs (Akshar Patel 2-6).
