<p>A valiant Karnataka gave it their all in hope of creating a miracle but their nemesis Saurashtra stonewalled their late charge in typical dour fashion, the visitors eventually completing a resounding four-wicket win in an engrossingly fought Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Sunday.</p>.<p>Having conceded a hefty 120-run first innings lead and starting the final day at a tricky 123/4, Karnataka’s hopes of securing a final berth had all but vanished on Saturday evening itself. They were then staring at the prospect of a hammering when they lost three wickets inside the opening hour itself, tottering at 171/7.</p>.<p>It was a troubling situation to be in. If they still went in pursuit of fast runs to give their bowlers enough time and ammunition to enforce an improbable win, they could risk losing quick wickets which meant a comfortable chase for Saurashtra. But if they stuck around trying to protect their wickets, then would only end up delaying the inevitable. Even battle-hardened veterans would have a had a tough time negotiating it.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/reliance-on-experience-working-wonders-for-saurashtra-1190526.html" target="_blank">Reliance on experience working wonders for Saurashtra</a></strong></p>.<p>One of the finds of the season, the 22-year-old SJ Nikin Jose then single-handedly bailed Karnataka out. Riding his luck through three dropped catches and given not out by third umpire despite appearing short of the crease while attempting to steal a single, Jose nicely counter-punched to a 161-ball 109 — his maiden first-class century.</p>.<p>All of Karnataka’s hopes rested on his young shoulders but his fortuitous knock ended just before lunch, the hosts dismissed for 234 in 58.2 overs. Saurashtra, the 2019/20 champions, now needed 115 runs for victory while Karnataka had two sessions to try and attempt the impossible.</p>.<p>Backed by a small crowd who kept cheering them on even when their shoulders dropped, Karnataka came out all guns blazing with the ball. Pacer V Koushik removed opened Snell Patel in third over and then packed off Harvik Desai in the ninth over to reduce Saurashtra to 20/2. It was the start they wanted and their tails were up, especially senior spinner K Gowtham.</p>.<p>The gritty offie, who relishes a good fight, bagged three wickets in quick succession, including first innings centurion and senior batter Sheldon Jackson, to reduce Saurashtra to 42/5. Extracting the most of a fifth day pitch where the ball kept low, he bowled slightly short of a length to constantly pin the Saurashtra batters onto the back foot. All three of his dismissal were LBW, the batters totally flummoxed by his length and speed.</p>.<p>At that stage, Gowtham even threatened to do the unthinkable and Saurashtra suddenly felt the heat. They were in danger on bungling up a game they were in control of. </p>.<p>However, it didn’t happen as Karnataka were unable to sustain the pressure from the other end. Pacer V Vyshank was all over the place and conceded 15 runs in two overs while his replacement Shreyas Gopal was equally poor, giving away 20 runs in 3 overs. In between Chetan Sakariya (24) hammered Gowtham for three sixes and hopes for a miracle died for Karnataka.</p>.<p>Apart from poor bowling from Shreyas and Vyshak, Karnataka also dropped four catches. Defending a low target, that was the last thing they needed. And they ended up paying for it dearly, skipper and player of the match Arpit Vasavada (47 n.o.) steering Saurashtra to victory (117/6) quite comfortably. </p>.<p>Saurashtra take on Bengal in the final at Kolkata starting Feb 16. </p>
<p>A valiant Karnataka gave it their all in hope of creating a miracle but their nemesis Saurashtra stonewalled their late charge in typical dour fashion, the visitors eventually completing a resounding four-wicket win in an engrossingly fought Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Sunday.</p>.<p>Having conceded a hefty 120-run first innings lead and starting the final day at a tricky 123/4, Karnataka’s hopes of securing a final berth had all but vanished on Saturday evening itself. They were then staring at the prospect of a hammering when they lost three wickets inside the opening hour itself, tottering at 171/7.</p>.<p>It was a troubling situation to be in. If they still went in pursuit of fast runs to give their bowlers enough time and ammunition to enforce an improbable win, they could risk losing quick wickets which meant a comfortable chase for Saurashtra. But if they stuck around trying to protect their wickets, then would only end up delaying the inevitable. Even battle-hardened veterans would have a had a tough time negotiating it.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/reliance-on-experience-working-wonders-for-saurashtra-1190526.html" target="_blank">Reliance on experience working wonders for Saurashtra</a></strong></p>.<p>One of the finds of the season, the 22-year-old SJ Nikin Jose then single-handedly bailed Karnataka out. Riding his luck through three dropped catches and given not out by third umpire despite appearing short of the crease while attempting to steal a single, Jose nicely counter-punched to a 161-ball 109 — his maiden first-class century.</p>.<p>All of Karnataka’s hopes rested on his young shoulders but his fortuitous knock ended just before lunch, the hosts dismissed for 234 in 58.2 overs. Saurashtra, the 2019/20 champions, now needed 115 runs for victory while Karnataka had two sessions to try and attempt the impossible.</p>.<p>Backed by a small crowd who kept cheering them on even when their shoulders dropped, Karnataka came out all guns blazing with the ball. Pacer V Koushik removed opened Snell Patel in third over and then packed off Harvik Desai in the ninth over to reduce Saurashtra to 20/2. It was the start they wanted and their tails were up, especially senior spinner K Gowtham.</p>.<p>The gritty offie, who relishes a good fight, bagged three wickets in quick succession, including first innings centurion and senior batter Sheldon Jackson, to reduce Saurashtra to 42/5. Extracting the most of a fifth day pitch where the ball kept low, he bowled slightly short of a length to constantly pin the Saurashtra batters onto the back foot. All three of his dismissal were LBW, the batters totally flummoxed by his length and speed.</p>.<p>At that stage, Gowtham even threatened to do the unthinkable and Saurashtra suddenly felt the heat. They were in danger on bungling up a game they were in control of. </p>.<p>However, it didn’t happen as Karnataka were unable to sustain the pressure from the other end. Pacer V Vyshank was all over the place and conceded 15 runs in two overs while his replacement Shreyas Gopal was equally poor, giving away 20 runs in 3 overs. In between Chetan Sakariya (24) hammered Gowtham for three sixes and hopes for a miracle died for Karnataka.</p>.<p>Apart from poor bowling from Shreyas and Vyshak, Karnataka also dropped four catches. Defending a low target, that was the last thing they needed. And they ended up paying for it dearly, skipper and player of the match Arpit Vasavada (47 n.o.) steering Saurashtra to victory (117/6) quite comfortably. </p>.<p>Saurashtra take on Bengal in the final at Kolkata starting Feb 16. </p>
