Hubballi: When Karnataka took the field for the final match on Friday, a scene in the distance behind the stands reflected their fading hopes. Thick smoke billowing from the burning piles of dry leaves symbolized Jammu and Kashmir’s gradual exhaustion of the home team’s chances over three days before they evaporated on the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy final.
Just like J&K, Karnataka have also experienced a thrilling comeback this season and in the short encounter at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium, they have raised hopes of another revival. But these hopes were dashed by opener Qamran Iqbal (94; 160b; 11×4, 1×6), whose solid knocks kept J&K in the lead.
After Karnataka were bowled out for 293 and secured a first-innings lead of 291, J&K chose not to execute the follow-on and instead batted again. Karnataka’s bowlers finally showed some quality but the recovery came three days too late. Karnataka briefly sensed a chance as they reduced the visitors to 11/2 within three overs.
However, J&K recovered steadily to end Day 4 with a score of 186/4 in 57 overs, extending their overall lead to a daunting 477 runs. Earlier, Auqib Nabi ended the vigil of Mayank Agarwal (160; 266b; 21×4).
CM Omar Abdullah arrives
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah arrived in Hubballi on Friday to witness the historic coronation of his team on Saturday.
Brief score: J&K 584 and 186/7 (Q Iqbal 94*, P Krishna 2/42) vs Karnataka 293 all out (M Agarwal 160; A Nabi 5/54).
