Karun Nair scored an unbeaten 142 to drive Karnataka to a position of strength against Kerala on Saturday.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: Karun Nair extended his rich vein of form with another brilliant hundred, while Smaran R and Shrijith KL scored solid half-centuries as Karnataka took the opening day’s honours at the KCA Cricket Ground in Mangalapuram in their third Ranji Trophy Elite Group B fixture against Kerala on Saturday.
Having slumped to 13/2 in 7.3 overs, previous game's centurion Karun (142 not out) was once again at his best and Karnataka's batting sensation Smaran (88 not out), having been cheaply dismissed in Shivamogga, scored a fluent fifty as the visitors went into stumps at 319 for three in 90 overs.
In the middle of a slump and fighting for a spot, Shrijith also chipped in with 65, smashing 10 fours. The 29-year-old was involved in a 123-run partnership with Karun and bailed Karnataka out of a precarious situation early in the first session and shifted the momentum in the visitors' favour.
Earlier, opener Aneesh KV (8) was brought into the side on the back of Nikin Jose's poor form as Karnataka opted to bat first, having recalled Shikhar Shetty and Mohsin Khan back into the XI for Abhilash Shetty and Yashovardhan Parantap.
However, it did not take long for Kerala's MD Nidheesh to draw first blood as Mayank Agarwal (5) edged one to Mohammed Azharuddeen in the fifth over.
Basil NP struck soon after, as he dismissed Aneesh, again caught off Azharuddeen, to have Karnataka two down and in a lot of trouble.
Having lost both the openers within the first hour of play, Karun joined Shrijith. While Karun held one end, his partner took the attack to the opposition as the duo made the Kerala bowlers toil for 34.1 overs.
Kerala also introduced spin as early as the second over of the innings but it paid back only in the 42nd over when Baba Aparajith’s off-spin sent Shrijith back to the hut after his 110-ball stay. However, the misery didn't end there.
Following the dismissal of Shrijith, Karun and Smaran put on an unbeaten 183-run stand off 292 deliveries without any hiccups.
Kerala, who showed some fire in the belly in the first session, would have hoped to pick a few more wickets and pile some pressure on Karnataka.
Nidheesh was the pick of the bowlers for the hosts, bowling 16 overs and giving away just 41 runs, having taken the wicket of Agarwal.
Cut-off box - SCOREBOARD KARNATAKA (I Innings): Aneesh KV c Azharuddeen b Basil 8; Mayank Agarwal c Azharuddeen b Nidheesh 5; Shrijith KL c Ahammed b Aparajith 65; Karun Nair (batting) 142; Smaran R (batting) 88; Extras (B-4 LB-5 NB-2) 11; TOTAL (for 3 wkts 90 overs) 319. Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Agarwal) 2-13 (Aneesh) 3-136 (Shrijith). Bowling: MD Nidheesh 16-4-41-1 Vaisakh Chandran 10-0-42-0 Nedumankuzhy Basil 16-2-58-1 Harikrishnan 14-0-69-0 Baba Aparajith 23-2-65-1 Akshay Chandran 11-0-35-0. Group B brief scores: Punjab: 215/5 in 87 overs (Uday Saharan 100 n.o. Salil Arora 51 n.o.; Deepraj Gaonkar 2-22) vs Goa (New Chandigarh); Madhya Pradesh: 64/1 in 27 overs (Harsh Gawli 32 n.o. Himanshu Mantri 28 n.o.) vs Chandigarh (Indore); Maharashtra vs Saurashtra: First day was washed out without a ball being bowled. (Nasik).