Even though Mayank Agarwal (70) and Akbar Kazi (72) came up with notable knocks, Karnataka 'A' conceded a massive first innings lead of 227 against Punjab 'A' on the third day of the four-day CK Nayudu Trophy tie at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on Monday, writes The Times of India.
In response to Punjab's massive total of 493, the hosts, 120 for five overnight, crumbled against a disciplined Punjab attack to be bowled out for 266. Following on, Karnataka were 106 for one with Agarwal batting at 69. The explosive right-hander along with his opening partner R Samarth stitched together a 97-run opening stand but the hosts still trail by 250 runs.
A report in the Deccan Chronicle says that Karnataka’s rollercoaster Ranji Trophy campaign took a nosedive as the Stuart Binny-led side gifted hosts Uttar Pradesh the momentum and decisive advantage in their third-round Group ‘B’ clash, here on Monday.
Karnataka, who came up with a shoddy display with the willow on the previous day, sunk into more trouble on the penultimate day as UP racked up a secondinnings tally of 343/5 at stumps for an overall lead of whopping 455 runs
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who rocked Karnataka with a fiver, returned to haunt them with a 91-run knock while Parvinder made up for his firstinnings blob with an unconquered 143 to emerge UP’s hero of the day with Piyush Chawla (16 not out) for company.
It was hard toil for the Karnataka bowlers on the day, managing just two wickets, as Bhuvneshwar and Parvinder sculpted a dominant phase en route to a match-turning stand of 230 for the fifth wicket. Patience was the watchword for both Bhuvneshwar and Parvinder as they kept the rival attack at bay.
In his 358-minute stay, Bhunveshwar faced 253 balls and struck 13 boundaries while Parvinder’s valiant effort stretched 325 minutes and comprised 255 balls, including 19 hits to the fence.
The right-handed duo doused the Karnataka hopes of late fight-back, particularly after Binny cleaned up Kaif to leave UP at 88/4 before Karnataka let their rivals off the hook as was the case in their opener against Baroda, against whom they had surrendered innings honours.
UP will look to push for an outright victory on the final day and it will be a Herculean task for the Karnataka batsmen to withstand the pressure.