Skipper Devdutt Padikkal led from the front with a brilliant hundred to help Karnataka beat Punjab by five wickets and seal their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal spot.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: There are red-ball games that start slow, shift gears on the final day and finish with a lot of excitement. This one was a prime example.
A slow-moving Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fixture between Karnataka and Punjab picked up serious pace on the fourth afternoon at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali as Devdutt Padikkal's (120 n.o., 85b, 6x4, 5x6) eighth first-class hundred saw Karnataka pull off a heist, chasing a 250-run target in just 27.3 overs to punch their quarterfinals ticket.
Karnataka finished second in Group B with 27 points in seven matches, picking up three wins, three draws and one loss while Madhya Pradesh topped the group with 28 points.
Karnataka will now face Mumbai in the fourth quarterfinal, starting on February 6.
It was also a brilliant way to start a new captaincy era, with thoughts of Mayank Agarwal's sacking slowly being erased after a tough defeat at the hands of MP in Alur that put their qualification in jeopardy.
Chasing 250 in just 40 overs, Karnataka pressed the trigger with Padikkal promoting himself to open with KL Rahul (13, 12b, 2x4).
Karnataka suffered an early jolt as Sukhdeep Bajwa (1/81) dismissed Rahul in the third over.
However, it was the skipper and former skipper Agarwal (53, 36b, 6x4, 1x6) who held the fort and stitched a 76-ball 113. After Agarwal walked back, Karnataka suffered a few tense moments with Aneesh KV (1) and Smaran R (1) walking back within three balls.
Padikkal and Shreyas Gopal (33, 22b, 3x4, 1x6) then steadied the ship with a 67-run stand before Vidyadhar Patil (14 n.o., 10b, 1x6) saw through the chase, Karnataka reaching 252/5.
Earlier, resuming the day on 119/3, Punjab skipper Uday Saharan (93, 166b, 7x4, 3x6) who was on 66 overnight, missed out of a well-deserved third first-class hundred by seven runs after being knocked over by left-arm orthodox Shikhar Shetty (2/82).
The captain, along with Anmolpreet Singh (44, 141b, 3x4, 1x6), stitched a gritty 89-run partnership, batting for 203 deliveries and eating up Karnataka's precious time.
Shreyas Gopal (3/43) picked up two wickets in two overs, sending Anmolpreet and wicketkeeper-bat Anmol Malhotra (16, 26, 1x4, 1x6) in quick succession before the lunch break. With two sessions still to be played, the hosts were 210/6, leading Karnataka by 203.
Showcasing urgency in their body language post lunch, India international Prasidh Krishna (3/49) along with the young Vidyadhar Patil (1/32) finished off the tail, bringing the shutters down on Punjab's innings on 256 all out in 101 overs.