<p>Bengaluru: Smaran R's (110 n.o., 184b, 11x4, 1x6) fourth first-class century in his 13th game and Karun Nair's (95, 164b, 12x4, 1x6) 39th first-class fifty carried Karnataka to 298 for five at stumps on the opening day of their fifth Elite Group B fixture against Chandigarh at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi on Sunday.</p>.<p>The in-form duo of Smaran and Nair combined to add 119 runs for the fourth wicket after Chandigarh controlled the first phase of play in the morning after being asked to bowl first.</p>.<p>At the close, however, Karnataka were in control of proceedings as the promising 22-year-old took advantage of the platform that was set and saw the day through alongside the technically sound Shreyas Gopal (38 n.o., 80b, 4x4).</p>.Billie Jean King Cup 2025: Dutch too good for Indians.<p>After winning the toss and opting to bat, last match's centurion Mayank Agarwal's (9, 20b, 2x4) stay was short as Jagjit Singh hit the right channels and then the stumps. </p>.<p>While his partner Aneesh KV (2, 26b), who has been flirting with form after coming in for Nikin Jose, endured another failure and had to make the long walk back, giving Rajangad Bawa (1/41) his first and only wicket of the day. </p>.<p>Under-pressure Shrijith KL (17, 53b, 1x4), who was in desperate need of some consistency, failed to kick on yet again as Nishank Shukla trapped him in front in the 27th over.</p>.<p>At one point, Karnataka were three down with just 64 on the board and were in need of some batting stability. Nair and Smaran put their hands up and provided just that. </p>.<p>Nair looked solid in defence and carried Karnataka beyond the 150-mark, looking fluent on both sides of the wicket and hitting as many as 12 fours and a six in his 164-ball stay. </p>.<p>Having already scored a double ton this season, the 22-year-old continued to make the right noises after being left disappointed in the last game after playing a reckless short and smashed as many as 11 boundaries and a six. </p>.<p>He found a sensible companion in Shreyas, who continued to impress with the bat to keep his end going. </p>.<p>Chandigarh, on the other hand, would have hoped to make a few more dents to pile pressure on Karnataka but it was not meant to be, thanks to an 88-run partnership between Smaran and Shreyas. </p>.<p><strong>SCOREBOARD</strong> </p>.<p>KARNATAKA (I Innings): KV Aneesh c Nikhil b Bawa 2 (26b) Mayank Agarwal b Jagjit 9 (20b 2x4) Shrijith KL lbw b Nishunk 17 (53b 1x4) Karun Nair lbw Taranpreet 95 (164b 12x4 1x6) Smaran R (batting) 110 (184b 11x4 1x6); Abhinav Manohar b Nishunk 11 (14b) Shreyas Gopal (batting) 38 (80b 4x4). Extras (B-9 LB-2 NB-1) 12. TOTAL (for 5 wkts 90 overs) 298. Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Agarwal) 2-13 (Aneesh) 3-64 (Shrijith) 4-183 (Nair) 5-210 (Manohar). Bowling: Jagjit Singh 13-3-42-1 Raj Bawa 12-4-41-1 Vishu Kashyap 28-6-68-0 Nishunk Birla 24-1-85-2 Taranpreet Singh 13-0-47-1 Other Group B brief scores: At Mullanpur: Maharashtra: 275/5 in 88 overs (Arshin Kulkarni 133 Prithvi Shaw 74; Gurnoor Brar 2-86 Mayank Markande 2-35) vs Punjab. At Rajkot: Saurashtra: 317/4 in 90 overs (Harvik Desai 45 Jay Gohil 68 Prerak Mankad 88 n.o. Arpit Vasavada 81) vs Goa At Indore: Kerala: 246/7 in 90 overs (Abhishek Nair 47 Baba Aparajith 81 n.o. Abijith Praveen 60; Saransh Jain 3-38 Arshad Khan 3-45) vs Madhya Pradesh.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Smaran R's (110 n.o., 184b, 11x4, 1x6) fourth first-class century in his 13th game and Karun Nair's (95, 164b, 12x4, 1x6) 39th first-class fifty carried Karnataka to 298 for five at stumps on the opening day of their fifth Elite Group B fixture against Chandigarh at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubballi on Sunday.</p>.<p>The in-form duo of Smaran and Nair combined to add 119 runs for the fourth wicket after Chandigarh controlled the first phase of play in the morning after being asked to bowl first.</p>.<p>At the close, however, Karnataka were in control of proceedings as the promising 22-year-old took advantage of the platform that was set and saw the day through alongside the technically sound Shreyas Gopal (38 n.o., 80b, 4x4).</p>.Billie Jean King Cup 2025: Dutch too good for Indians.<p>After winning the toss and opting to bat, last match's centurion Mayank Agarwal's (9, 20b, 2x4) stay was short as Jagjit Singh hit the right channels and then the stumps. </p>.<p>While his partner Aneesh KV (2, 26b), who has been flirting with form after coming in for Nikin Jose, endured another failure and had to make the long walk back, giving Rajangad Bawa (1/41) his first and only wicket of the day. </p>.<p>Under-pressure Shrijith KL (17, 53b, 1x4), who was in desperate need of some consistency, failed to kick on yet again as Nishank Shukla trapped him in front in the 27th over.</p>.<p>At one point, Karnataka were three down with just 64 on the board and were in need of some batting stability. Nair and Smaran put their hands up and provided just that. </p>.<p>Nair looked solid in defence and carried Karnataka beyond the 150-mark, looking fluent on both sides of the wicket and hitting as many as 12 fours and a six in his 164-ball stay. </p>.<p>Having already scored a double ton this season, the 22-year-old continued to make the right noises after being left disappointed in the last game after playing a reckless short and smashed as many as 11 boundaries and a six. </p>.<p>He found a sensible companion in Shreyas, who continued to impress with the bat to keep his end going. </p>.<p>Chandigarh, on the other hand, would have hoped to make a few more dents to pile pressure on Karnataka but it was not meant to be, thanks to an 88-run partnership between Smaran and Shreyas. </p>.<p><strong>SCOREBOARD</strong> </p>.<p>KARNATAKA (I Innings): KV Aneesh c Nikhil b Bawa 2 (26b) Mayank Agarwal b Jagjit 9 (20b 2x4) Shrijith KL lbw b Nishunk 17 (53b 1x4) Karun Nair lbw Taranpreet 95 (164b 12x4 1x6) Smaran R (batting) 110 (184b 11x4 1x6); Abhinav Manohar b Nishunk 11 (14b) Shreyas Gopal (batting) 38 (80b 4x4). Extras (B-9 LB-2 NB-1) 12. TOTAL (for 5 wkts 90 overs) 298. Fall of wickets: 1-13 (Agarwal) 2-13 (Aneesh) 3-64 (Shrijith) 4-183 (Nair) 5-210 (Manohar). Bowling: Jagjit Singh 13-3-42-1 Raj Bawa 12-4-41-1 Vishu Kashyap 28-6-68-0 Nishunk Birla 24-1-85-2 Taranpreet Singh 13-0-47-1 Other Group B brief scores: At Mullanpur: Maharashtra: 275/5 in 88 overs (Arshin Kulkarni 133 Prithvi Shaw 74; Gurnoor Brar 2-86 Mayank Markande 2-35) vs Punjab. At Rajkot: Saurashtra: 317/4 in 90 overs (Harvik Desai 45 Jay Gohil 68 Prerak Mankad 88 n.o. Arpit Vasavada 81) vs Goa At Indore: Kerala: 246/7 in 90 overs (Abhishek Nair 47 Baba Aparajith 81 n.o. Abijith Praveen 60; Saransh Jain 3-38 Arshad Khan 3-45) vs Madhya Pradesh.</p>