Shivamogga: Monday saw little sunshine, but the overcast conditions perfectly favored Karnataka’s formidable four-pronged pace attack, which dominated the first two sessions of the Ranji Trophy match. However, despite their relentless efforts, the bowlers found themselves unable to break the determined partnership of Arjun Tendulkar (43 not out) and Mohit Redkar (24 not out). Their resilient 56-run stand for the seventh wicket effectively stalled Karnataka’s push for a first-innings lead.
On a day once again hampered by weather delays at the KSCA Navule Stadium, Goa’s lower-order batsmen displayed impressive grit, somewhat dimming the shine on Karnataka’s excellent bowling performance. Responding to the home team’s first-innings total of 371, Goa managed to reach 171/6 in 77 overs. They still trail by 200 runs and are 50 runs short of avoiding the follow-on, with bad light prematurely ending play. A wet outfield caused an hour’s delay in the morning, limiting Day 3 to just 64 overs.
Considering Karnataka’s recent history with adverse weather, a victory appears unlikely. Securing three points from this match seems more probable, though it might not be sufficient given they only earned a single point in their opening fixture and face tougher challenges ahead.
The new-ball duo of Vidwath Kaverappa (2/30) and Abhilash Shetty (3/63) started with great intensity, skillfully exploiting the conditions. They consistently generated movement off the pitch, bowling with both precision and purpose. This effective blend of experience and youthful aggression served the hosts well, as they shared the first 13 overs of the day.
Resuming their innings at 28/1, Goa’s top order initially showed promise against the challenging bowling. However, their resistance soon crumbled. Suyash Prabhudessai added just one run to his overnight score of 11 before nicking a full delivery from Kaverappa to wicketkeeper KL Shrijith. A rising ball proved to be the undoing for most of Goa’s top and middle-order batsmen, with captain Snehal Kauthankar also falling victim, edging an Abhilash delivery to Shrijith.
Goa found themselves in deep trouble at 51/4 after Kaverappa dismissed Abhinav Tejrana, caught by Nikin Jose in the slips. Lalit Yadav and Darshan Misal then bravely steadied the innings, forging a 49-run partnership over 150 deliveries. Misal, who contributed 12 runs from 84 balls, eventually tried to accelerate but sent a Yashovardhan Parantap delivery straight to Karun Nair at first slip. Lalit Yadav’s attempted pull shot also led to his departure.
It was then that Arjun Tendulkar and Mohit Redkar stepped up, frustrating Mayank Agarwal and his team with their watchful batting and surviving a couple of half-chances and missed run-out opportunities. While caution remained paramount, they didn’t shy away from punishing loose deliveries, such as a short ball from Abhilash that Arjun dispatched.
Karnataka will now be hoping for favorable weather to allow them to complete their pursuit on the final day.
**SCOREBOARD**
**Karnataka (First Innings):** 371
**Goa (First Innings; overnight 28/1):**
* Manthan Khutkar c Shrijith b Abhilash: 9
* Suyash Prabhudessai c Shrijith b Kaverappa: 12
* Abhinav Tejrana c Jose b Kaverappa: 18
* Snehal Kauthankar c Shrijith b Abhilash: 10
* Lalit Yadav c Parantap b Abhilash: 36
* Darshan Misal c Karun b Parantap: 12
* Arjun Tendulkar (batting): 43
* Mohit Redkar (batting): 24
* **Extras:** (Byes-2; Leg Byes-4; No Balls-1): 7
* **Total (6 wickets; 77 overs):** 171
**Fall of wickets:** 1-9, 2-29, 3-47, 4-51, 5-100, 6-115
**Bowling:**
* Vidwath Kaverappa: 18-5-30-2
* Abhilash Shetty: 18-3-63-3
* Yashovardhan Parantap: 16-6-18-1
* Vyshak Vijaykumar: 17-2-41-0
* Shreyas Gopal: 8-2-13-0