Hubballi: The ground that had looked lifeless for most of the first two days suddenly came to life on Thursday, not because of any change in conditions but because of the quality of the bowling. Unlike the Karnataka attack, which required 173.1 overs to eliminate Jammu and Kashmir for an impressive 584 runs in the first innings, the visitors needed just 48.2 overs and 235 minutes to eliminate half of the home team’s batting line-up.
At stumps on Day 3 of the Ranji Trophy final at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium, Karnataka posted a record of 220/5 in 69 overs, thanks in no small part to opener Mayank Agarwal’s unbeaten 130. The eight-time champions are currently 364 runs behind and will now need a huge batting effort from the rest of the lineup to remain competitive.
The J&K bowlers, on the other hand, swung the maraschino, bowling over the stumps and across the seams. Their performance was something the more experienced Karnataka line-up didn’t even see.
Leading the way is strike bowler Auqib Nabi (3/32), who combines accuracy with intensity. When the battle lines for the title were drawn, much of the discussion centered on Nabi’s matchup with a top-order Karnataka side that featured four Test batsmen, and the seamer lived up to the expectations. Nabi dismissed KL Rahul, Karun Nair and this season’s top run-getter R Smaran in the decisive four-over lunchtime encounter between the two sides, with each elimination coming from bringing life to an otherwise tame surface.
Immediately after the bowling opening, Nabi put pressure on Rahul with probing full-length balls and occasionally mixed in with short balls. Rahul needed 15 runs to reach the target before briefly finding his rhythm with two boundaries off Sunil Kumar. Nabi finally made the final call when his pass came late and narrowly to goalkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan.
Sunil struck soon after, dismissing Karnataka captain Devdutt Padikkar. Padikkal, rooted at the crease, tentatively poked out outside off-stump and Abdul Samad took the catch at slip.
Karun Nair followed almost immediately, landing a peach of delivery. Nabi blasted one in, Karun misjudged the line and the ball hit his stumps. Nabi then completed a devastating blow by removing Smalan, whose uncertain push on a back-off pass resulted in Wadhawan gaining an outside edge to safety.
Karnataka were reduced to 57/4, at a disadvantage, and the packed stadium was silent except for the celebrations and chirping of the J&K team.
Amid the collapse, Mayank stood tall. Despite the carnage happening around him, the opener remained calm and focused on the long-term mission ahead. He was more confident than his teammates, countering swings by pushing forward and getting the ball into space to take the pressure off the scoreboard.
Shreyas Gopal (27) provided support with a steady partnership before being trapped leg-before-wicket by Yudhvir Singh.
Wicketkeeper Kruthik Krishna (27 wickets) then joined Mayank and the duo ensured that Karnataka reached stumps without suffering further damage. With a huge first-inning deficit still looming, the home team’s hopes depended on whether Mayank and the lower-tier teams could pull off the heist.
Earlier, J&K added 57 runs with an opening score of 527/6 before being bowled out for 584 runs. Pacer Prasidh Krishna finished with 5 wickets (5/98).
