Amit Verma once again showed his penchant for big scores with a double ton that helped Karnataka State Cricket Association post a mammoth total at close on the second day of the four-day final against Mumbai Cricket Association in the all-India invitational tournament for the Safi Darashah Trophy here at Alur grounds on Sunday.
Overnight 329 for three, the hosts saw a clutch of batsmen make meaty contributions but none was more impressive than the left-handed Verma. At draw of stumps, KSCA had reached 556/9 with Verma making almost half of those runs.
The 26-year-old, resuming at his bed-time score of 65, was out after scoring 219 that came off 413 balls with the help of 28 fours and a six.
Though KSCA lost CM Gautam (57), who added 14 more runs to his overnight score, early in the day Verma anchored the innings with valuable support coming from Rajoo Bhatkal and K Gowtham.
While Bhatkal chipped in with 40 (64b, 5x4), Gowtham stood out for his gutsy batting show. The off-spinning all-rounder stroked his way to 82 (126b, 8x4, 1x6) to bolster the home innings.
Paceman Kshemal Waingankar added two more to his wickets tally on the day for figures of 3/101. That he was the most successful of Mumbai bowlers reflected the visitors’ misery. Abhishek Nayar and Rakesh Prabhu claimed two wickets apiece.
Brief scores (final): KSCA XI: 556/9 in 179 overs (Amit Verma 219, CM Gautam 57, Rajoo Bharkal 40, K Gowtham 82; Kshemal Waingankar 3-101, Abhishek Nayar 2-62, Rakesh Prabhu 2-71) vs Mumbai CA.