JOIN USUP have mountain to climb
The urgency and desperation Uttar Pradesh showed with the bat in the morning did not percolate to their bowling, leaving Suresh Raina’s men with a massive mountain to climb on the final day.
The visitors’ first task on day three of their Ranji Trophy Group A tie was to get past Karnataka’s 314, a task accomplished easily as Mohammad Kaif (152, 430m, 297b, 24x4) found an able ally in Amir Khan. The lead taken, they scored briskly to post 419, an advantage of 105, at the stroke of lunch on Friday at the JNNCE ground.
As news filtered in from other parts of the country, it became obvious that nothing less than an outright victory would guarantee Uttar Pradesh a place in the quarterfinals. Rudra Pratap Singh ignited their hopes by getting rid of Bharath Chipli in the third over with just four on the board, but Karnataka staged a stoic fightback to end on 158 for two, 53 ahead, as skipper Ganesh Satish (70 n.o., 218m, 145b, 9x4) chose the most opportune time to build on his umpteenth start of the season.
Karnataka were forced to open with Chipli after Robin Uthappa, who sustained a right thigh strain while fielding on Thursday, had to sit out at least 141 minutes before coming out. The makeshift opener didn’t last long, gobbled up by Rudra Pratap with a testing delivery outside off. Given the fragility of the Karnataka batting, there was every reason for queasy stomachs in the changing room, but the captain settled those nerves in the company of the unflappable KB Pawan first, and then the classy Amit Verma.
Innings after innings, Satish has played himself in but allowed lapses in concentration to get the better of him. On this day, he was in complete control, making a conscious effort to keep the focus going but also putting the loose deliveries away in a jiffy.
Pawan’s unhurried approach and Satish’s supreme confidence was eating into the deficit when the former was smartly caught at first slip by Kaif. It was mini-crisis time again, especially with Uthappa slated to bat only if the need arose as a precautionary measure with the quarterfinals coming up, but Verma, who put on a masterclass against leggie Piyush Chawla, engaged his captain in another excellent association (91*, 119m, 176b).
While Satish played all around the ground, the left-handed Verma was particularly partial to the straight and the cover-drive, picking off Chawla with supreme disdain. The intent Uttar Pradesh had shown in the morning rapidly dissipated as an unresponsive pitch and a determined batting unit combined to take the heart and the spirit out of the bowling.
Both heart and spirit were on full view in the morning, no one showcasing it better than Kaif. Needing a further 39 to overhaul Karnataka as they resumed on 276 for six, they were briefly ratted when NC Aiyappa accounted for Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 27 still needed to surge ahead.
Involved in a 116-run stand with Bhuvneshwar, Kaif continued to bat fluently. Additionally, he shepherded new man Amir through a nervy opening phase, but once the lead had been grabbed, both men went into overdrive.
The left-arm spin of KP Appanna, disappointing for the last few games, was despatched with regularity and élan by both right-handers as runs began to accrue at a frenetic pace. Satish worked the changes but was powerless as Amir brought up his 50, then Kaif his 150.
The stand had rocketed to 108 (85m, 127b) when the under-bowled Sunil Raju effected the breakthrough, having Kaif caught at slip. The tail threw its bats around to boost the tally, but how well the same personnel perform with the ball early on Saturday will decide if it’s quarterfinal time or early exit for the former champions.
Score board
KARNATAKA (I Innings): 314 all out in 95 overs
UTTAR PRADESH (I Innings, O/n: 276/6): Mukul Dagar c Chipli b Verma 37 (114m, 71b, 5x4), Tanmay Srivastava c Chipli b Aiyappa 12 (26m, 18b, 2x4), Mohammad Kaif c Binny b Raju 152 (430m, 297b, 24x4), Parvinder Singh c Appanna b Binny 46 (61m, 54b, 7x4, 1x6), Suresh Raina b Appanna 12 (12m, 12b, 2x4), Arish Alam c Gautam b Akshay 6 (22m, 21b, 1x4), Piyush Chawla c Binny b Raju 5 (13m, 7b, 1x4), Bhuvneshwar Kumar c Gautam b Aiyappa 56 (144m, 120b, 6x4), Amir Khan (not out) 67 (106m, 89b, 7x4, 1x6), Rudra Pratap Singh c Gautam b Raju 10 (13m, 10b, 1x6), Imtiyaz Ahmed c Gautam b Aiyappa 5 (6m, 7b, 1x4). Extras (LB-4, W-1, NB-6) 11. Total (all out, 116.4 overs overs) 419.
Fall of wickets: 1-32 (Srivastava), 2-83 (Dagar), 3-138 (Parvinder), 4-154 (Raina), 5-165 (Alam), 6-172 (Chawla), 7-288 (Bhuvneshwar), 8-396 (Kaif), 9-414 (RP Singh).
Bowling: SL Akshay 20-2-51-1, NC Aiyappa 23.4-5-92-3 (nb-1), Stuart Binny 21-0-73-1 (w-1, nb-4), Amit Verma 10-2-37-1, KP Appanna 29-2-119-1 (nb-1), Sunil Raju 13-1-43-3.
KARNATAKA (II Innings): Bharath Chipli c Amir b RP Singh 4 (10m, 10b, 1x4), KB Pawan c Kaif b Imtiyaz 34 (109m, 74b, 5x4), Ganesh Satish (batting) 70 (218m, 145b, 9x4), Amit Verma (batting) 46 (119m, 107b, 7x4). Extras (LB-4) 4. Total (for 2 wkts, 56 overs) 158.
Fall of wickets: 1-4 (Chipli), 2-67 (Pawan).
Bowling: RP Singh 13-4-22-1, Bhuvneshwar Kumar 16-2-32-0, Imtiyaz Ahmed 10-1-37-1, Piyush Chawla 13-0-57-0, Suresh Raina 4-1-6-0.