JOIN USKarnataka bowlers peg back Delhi on day three
A determined show from the bowlers, clever captaincy by Vinay Kumar and aggressive approach from the fielders combined to set up a nice platform for holders Karnataka to push for their third win of the season as they continued to call the shots against Delhi here at the Rajnagar Stadium on Wednesday.
On the third and penultimate day, resuming from their overnight score of 60 for one, the visitors laboured their way to 301 all out, handing Karnataka a huge first innings lead of 241 runs. Skipper Gautam Gambhir was the top scorer for Delhi with a fighting 75.
The pace quartet of Vinay (1/68), Abhimanyu Mithun (2/52), HS Sharath (2/46) and S Arvind (2/41) shared seven wickets between them to help the hosts enforce the follow on.
If not for a gutsy 93-run stand between half-centurions Manan Sharma (56) and Vaibhav Rawal (54), Delhi would have found themselves in deeper trouble. In their second essay, having to ward off 14 overs in the final session, Delhi did well to prevent any early blows and finished the day at 22 for no loss.
With a victory looking impossible for Delhi, Gambhir’s men would play only for survival and gather home a solitary point as a tough fourth and final day awaits them. The hosts have ticked all boxes in the match so far and one more performance marked by team spirit and excellence will help them emerge victorious.
After their pacers toiled hard to get an early breakthrough without any success, it was Shreyas Gopal who scalped the first wicket of the day for Karnataka when he tricked Dhruv Shorey with a googly and caught him plumb in front. But Gambhir brought his truck loads of experience into play and forged an alliance of 54 runs with left-hander Nitish Rana.
As Karnataka desperately searched for a wicket, skipper Vinay’s decision to bring on Karun Nair into the attack turned out to be masterstroke. Call it complacency against a part timer or a rare bad shot, the well set Gambhir tried to late cut a ball that was pitched outside off -stump but the skipper found a thick edge and was out caught behind.
Vinay then dismissed Rana caught behind and Sharath sent a toe crusher to Milind Kumar to remove him leg before wicket in the very next over as Delhi were reduced to 158 for five.
After turning the first session in their favour, Karnataka found success in the very second over after lunch when Arvind sent back wicketkeeper Punit Bisht. The left-handed duo of Sharma and Rawal then forged a solid alliance, punishing the hosts’ bowlers. Sharma struck pleasing drives off both spin and pace bowlers and the 24-year-old’s confidence rubbed off on Rawal, who essayed a patient knock.
The smiles were back for the hosts when Mithun brought the downfall of Sharma, who was out leg before wicket, playing across the line to a full length delivery. Karnataka then cleaned up the tail within one hour in the final session and enforced the follow on.
Robin Uthappa didn’t take the field on the second and third days due to a muscle pull near the ribs.
score board
KARNATAKA (I Innings): 542
DELHI (I Innings; O/n: 60/1): Unmukt Chand c Gautam b Arvind 22 (65b, 3x4), Gautam Gambhir c Gautam b Nair 75 (151b, 10x4), Dhruv Shorey lbw Shreyas 16 (65b, 1x4), Nitish Rana c Gautam b Vinay 32 (71b, 4x4), Milind Kumar lbw Sharath 10 (24b, 2x4), Vaibhav Rawal lbw Mithun 54 (81b, 5x4), Punit Bisht lbw Arvind 1 (20b), Manan Sharma c Gautam b Sharath 56 (66b, 11x4), Pradeep Sangwan c Gautam b Mithun 17 (41b, 2x4), Navdeep Saini (not out) 13 (25b, 2x4), Pawan Suyal b Shreyas 1 (18b). Extras (NB-2, B-2) 4. Total (all out, 104.1 overs) 301.
Fall of wickets: 1-47 (Chand), 2-82 (Shorey), 3-136 (Gambhir), 4-158 (Rana), 5-158 (Milind), 6-166 (Bisht), 7-259 (Sharma), 8-279 (Rawal), 9-292.
Bowling: Vinay Kumar 20-4-68-1 (NB-1), Abhimanyu Mithun 23-8-52-2 (NB-1), S Arvind 17-7-41-2, HS Sharath 18-5-46-2, Karun Nair 10-2-43-1, Shreyas Gopal 16.1-5-49-2.
DELHI (II Innings; following on): Unmukt Chand (batting) 3 (36b), Gautam Gambhir (batting) 13 (43b, 1x4). Extras (NB-1, B-4, LB-1) 6. Total (for no loss) 22.
Bowling: Vinay Kumar 4-2-9-0, HS Sharath 3-1-4-0, S Arvind 2-0-2-0 (NB-1), Abhimanyu Mithun 2-1-1-0, Shreyas Gopal 1-1-0-0, Karun Nair 1-0-1-0.