JOIN US After an ordinary performance in their first innings, the KSCA XI batsmen displayed a collective effort in the second essay to eke out a draw against Assam Cricket Association and move into the semifinals of the Dr (Capt) K Thimmappiah Memorial tournament here on Wednesday.
After Abhishek Reddy (103) and CM Gautam had set the tone on the penultimate day, KSCA, resuming from their overnight score of 264 for five, declared at a strong 407 for seven. Though skipper Gautam (75 n.o.) added just eight runs to his overnight score, J Suchith (54) and Zeeshan Ali Sayyed (56 n.o.) held the innings together to take Karnataka to safety.
Set a victory target of 300, the visitors were 52 for two in 24 overs when the match ended. In-form left-arm spinner Suchith once again sparkled to finish with seven wickets for the match.
Courtesy their first innings lead, Assam bagged three points while the hosts took home one point. With two wins and one draw from three matches, KSCA topped the group with 14 points.
Semis from Aug 8
The CM Gautam-led side will take on Vidarbha Cricket Association at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium from August 8 to 11 for a place in the final.
Vidarbha, who packed off Gujarat Cricket Association by seven wickets on Tuesday in Mysuru, won all their group matches to take the top spot in Group D with 18 points.
In the other semifinal, Haryana CA will take on Dr DY Patil Cricket Academy at Alur (2) on the same dates.
Haryana, who beat Tripura Cricket Association by an innings and 176 on Tuesday, enjoyed an all-win record to top Group B with 19 points.
Dr DY Patil Academy drew with National Cricket Academy at the Aditya Global Grounds on Wednesday to top Group C with 16 points from two wins and a draw.
Brief scores: At KSCA, KSCA XI: 200 all out in 66.5 overs and 407/ 7 decl in 140 overs (CM Gautam 83, J Suchith 54, Zeeshan Ali Sayyed 56 n.o., Ronit More 39 n.o.; Sarupam Purakayastha 3-85, Syed Mohammed 2-108) drew with Assam Cricket Association: 307 all out in 99.4 overs and 52/2 in 24 overs (J Suchith 2-13)
Assam Cricket Association: 3 Points; KSCA XI: 1 Point.
At Alur (1): Orissa Cricket Association: 203 all out in 78.1 overs and 386/7 decl in 139 overs (Girija Rout 162 n.o., Biplab Samantray 51, Suryakant Pradhan 27*; Ankush Bedi 3-121, Akash Vasist 2-101, Kanwar Abhinay 2-67) drew with Himachal Pradesh CA: 308 all out in 101 overs and 64/2 in 20 overs (Prashant Chopra 50 n.o.)
Himachal Pradesh CA: 3; Orissa Cricket Association: 1.
At Alur (2): Cricket Association of Bengal: 489 all out in 128.1 overs and 67/2 in 18 overs (Abhishek Das 36; K Gowtham 2-17) drew with KSCA President’s XI: 696/7 in 195.4 overs (D Nischal 218, Anirudha Joshi 126, Sadiq Kirmani 30, David Mathias 53 n.o; Amit Kuila 2-116, Koushik Ghosh 2-45, Pradipta Pramanik 2-163).
KSCA President’s XI: 3; Cricket Association of Bengal: 1.
At Alur (3): Andhra Cricket Association: 340 all out in 100.2 overs and 166 all out in 65.2 overs (KC Cariappa 2-12, Mitrakant Yadav 6-42) lt to KSCA Colts XI: 356 all out in 113.5 overs and 151/6 in 37.1 overs (Liyan Khan 41, Rohan Kadam 42, KC Avinash 50 n.o.; G Shankar Rao 5-43) by 4 wickets. KSCA Colts XI: 6; Andhra Cricket Association: 0.
At Aditya Global: Dr DY Patil Academy: 486 all out in 122.5 overs and 221/6 in 65 overs (Vikrant Auti 85, Shubham Ranjane 54, Yogesh Takawale 28, Zeeshan Ansari 3-68) drew with National Cricket Academy: 370/8 decl in 87.4 overs (Nitish Rana 109 n.o.; Manjeet Chaudhary 2-85, Swapnil Singh 5-79).
At Mysore: SDNRW Grounds: Kerala Cricket Association: 266 all out in 109 overs and 176 all out in 59.3 overs bt Tamil Nadu Cricket Association: 153 all out in 62.3 overs and 213 all out in 71.5 overs (Baba Indrajith 47, J Kousik 53 n.o.; SK Monish 5-64, MD Nidheesh 2-39).
Kerala Cricket Association: 6; Tamil Nadu Cricket Association: 0.
Semifinal line-up: from August 8-11: KSCA XI vs Vidarbha Cricket Association (at M Chinnaswamy Stadium); Haryana vs Dr DY Patil Academy (at Alur 2).