Shivamogga: On a Monday where the sun played hide-and-seek, Karnataka’s formidable four-pronged pace attack relished the cloudy conditions, unleashing a torrent of deliveries during the first two sessions of play. Yet, their relentless efforts couldn’t crack the resilient partnership between Arjun Tendulkar (43 batting) and Mohit Redkar (24 not out).
The duo forged an unbroken 56-run stand for the seventh wicket, a crucial display of resistance that significantly slowed Karnataka’s charge towards a dominant first-innings lead in this Ranji Trophy encounter. It was another day curtailed by uncooperative weather at the KSCA Navule Stadium, but Goa’s lower-order batsmen truly shone.
In response to Karnataka’s impressive first-innings total of 371, Goa ended the day at 171/6 after 77 overs. They still face a daunting 200-run deficit and are 50 runs short of avoiding the follow-on when bad light brought an early end to play. Only 64 overs were possible on Day 3, following an hour lost in the morning due to a wet outfield.
Considering Karnataka’s recent struggles with weather-affected matches, an outright victory now seems unlikely. Securing three points from this match appears to be their most probable outcome, which might not be enough given they only managed a single point in their opening fixture and have tougher challenges ahead.
Karnataka’s new-ball pair, Vidwath Kaverappa (2/30) and Abhilash Shetty (3/63), started with impressive vigour, expertly exploiting the conditions. They found considerable movement off the pitch, bowling with both precision and intent. The blend of experience and youthful aggression proved effective for the home side as the duo bowled the day’s initial 13 overs.
Resuming at 28/1, Goa’s top order initially showed promise against this tough examination, but their resistance soon faltered. Suyash Prabhudessai added just one run to his overnight score of 11 before edging a full-length delivery from Kaverappa to wicketkeeper KL Shrijith. A similar fate befell most of Goa’s top and middle-order batsmen, struggling against the rising ball. Captain Snehal Kauthankar was no exception, nicking one to Shrijith off Abhilash.
When Kaverappa claimed Abhinav Tejrana, caught by Nikin Jose in the slips, Goa found themselves reeling at 51/4. It was then up to Lalit Yadav and Darshan Misal to steady the ship, and they did so admirably, consuming 150 deliveries for a 49-run partnership. However, Misal’s 12-run vigil, which came off 84 balls, ended when he attempted to break free, sending a Yashovardhan Parantap delivery straight to Karun Nair at first slip. Lalit Yadav’s misjudged pull shot soon followed, bringing his innings to a close.
With their backs against the wall, Arjun Tendulkar and Mohit Redkar stepped up. They navigated through half-chances and a couple of frustrating missed run-out opportunities, much to the dismay of Mayank Agarwal and his team. While caution was paramount, they didn’t shy away from punishing loose deliveries, such as a short ball from Abhilash that Arjun dispatched with authority.
As the match heads into its final day, Karnataka will be fervently hoping for clear skies to give them a chance to complete their quest for victory.
SCOREBOARD
Karnataka (I innings): 371
Goa (I innings; o/n 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: (B-2; LB-4; NB-1): 7
Total (6 wkts; 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