The Karnataka cricket team, under the leadership of Devdutt Padikkal, has ended the 11-year wait and reached their first Ranji Trophy final since the 2014-15 season. The team’s qualification came after they took a first-innings lead against Uttarakhand in the semi final played at the Ekana Stadium on Thursday.
The eight-time champions, Karnataka, will play the title clash against Jammu and Kashmir, who created history by reaching the finals for the first time by beating Bengal in the other semi-final.
The BCCI is yet to announce the venue for the final match, but sources have confirmed to IANS that Hubli is leading the race to host the clash. “It is understood that KSCA Rajnagar Stadium in Hubbali is leading the race to host the Ranji Trophy final. A JKCA official told IANS that it is likely the final will be held in Hubbali, though a formal confirmation on this hasn’t come yet.”
Speaking of the match, coming to bat after losing the toss, Karnataka batted for 194.4 overs and scored a magnificent total of 736 runs in the first innings, riding on the double century from the captain, Padikkal, who scored 232 runs off 330 balls.
Opener KL Rahul also continued his great form and played a brilliant knock of 141 runs, while Smaran Ravichandran showed his composure under pressure and hit 135 runs to take the team to a mammoth total.
Karnataka’s bowlers dismantled Uttarakhand’s batting unit and bowled them out for just 233 runs in 88.5 overs, giving a 503-run lead to the team, which proved to be crucial in their final qualification.
Vidyadhar Patil and Vijaykumar Vyashak led from the front for the team and took three wickets each, while Shreyas Gopal also chipped in two wickets.
Karnataka added 323 runs more to their lead in the second innings. With the help of a 127-run knock from Ravichandran and an 86-run unbeaten innings from Rahul.
Chasing an imposing target of 827 on the final day, Uttarakhand reached 260/6 in 62 overs before both captains agreed to call it a draw. Aditya Rawat remained unbeaten on 53, while Abhay Negi was not out on 57. Gopal took three wickets in the second innings, while Prasidh grabbed two and Vijay Kumar chipped in with one for Karnataka.
Brief scores: Karnataka 736 & 323 (Smaran Ravichandran 127, KL Rahul 86 not out, Kruthik Krishna 52; Mayank Mishra 4-69) drew with Uttarakhand 233 & 260/6 in 62 overs (Abhay Negi 57 not out, Aditya Rawat 53 not out)
