Agarwal, Samarth put Karnataka on top

Skipper slams season's first ton after bowlers run through Chhattisgarh innings

Coming into this match, Ajay Mandal was the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker in the Ranji Trophy this season, with 24 wickets from three outings. The left-arm spinner, one would have assumed, would have gone on the attack at least at the beginning, with Karnataka still trailing Chhattisgarh by more than 200 runs.

Strangely, he was defensive from the first ball he bowled. With short fine-leg, deep square leg and a midwicket field in place, Chhattisgarh's intention was clear. Bowl left-arm over, dry up runs, frustrate the batsmen and then force them into mistakes.

The decision, partly, may have been forced by a docile pitch after the Karnataka openers had successfully negotiated the new ball, but embracing a negative tactic so early in the innings spectacularly boomeranged on Chhattisgarh with R Samarth (81, 127b, 11x4) and Mayank Agarwal (102 n.o., 191b, 9x4, 5x6) adopting a counter-attacking strategy.

Having dismissed Chhattisgarh, overnight 267/5, for 311 on the second morning, Karnataka ended the second day of their Group C Ranji Trophy match on a strong note - 202/1 in 64 overs - with skipper Agarwal leading the charge here at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. The hosts would look to quickly wipe the deficit of 109 runs on the third day and push for an outright run.

Chhattisgarh's resistance in the morning lasted just about 20 overs with Vidwath Kaverappa (5/67) adding two more to the overnight tally of three wickets for his maiden first-class five-wicket haul. Not unlike on the opening day when he got Karnataka back in the game with two scalps in one over, the right-arm quick removed Shashank Singh and Mandal off successive deliveries that set the tone for the day for the home team's domination.

V Koushik, who had replaced the injured Ronit More, then got into act polishing off the tail for figures of 4/43 for his career best returns. The pacer is playing his first Ranji match in since January 2020 against Mumbai.

Where Chhattisgarh's approach was excessively defensive, Karnataka's was refreshingly positive. Unlike against Puducherry at the same venue where they went into a shell in the face of run-denying tactics and gifted six wickets to left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma, Samarth and Agarwal found ways to render Chhattisgarh's game-plan ineffective. The two employed sweep and reverse sweep to good effect with Agarwal every now and then stepping out of the crease to deposit the ball beyond the ropes.

It was Samarth, who showed an aggressive streak in the post-lunch session while an edgy Agarwal took some time to feel "in". The two had raised a whopping 163 runs (210m, 278b) for the opening stand, when, against the run of play, Samarth offered a return catch to Mandal in what can be termed a soft dismissal.

Well on the cusp of a fourth straight century, Samarth's slow trudge to the pavilion reflected his deep disappointment at throwing away the wicket. The right-hander, however, had done enough to give Karnataka a platform from where they can now realistically hope for a win.

Personally, it was also a satisfying day for Agarwal who finally managed to convert his good start into a season's maiden three-figure score.