The Ranji Trophy clash between Karnataka and Goa persisted in a battle of attrition at the SDNR Wadiyar Stadium on day three. Starting the day at 253 for four, Karnataka built on Nikin Jose’s second century in First Class cricket (107 runs off 215 balls, including 6 boundaries) to establish a 177-run lead. However, K.V. Siddharth’s resilient half-century (57 not out off 74 balls, featuring 8 boundaries and 1 six) led Goa’s fightback, closing the day at 93 for one, trailing by 84 runs.
While a victory for Goa remains a challenging prospect, the team successfully prevented Karnataka from dominating the game. Karnataka needs to break the deadlock in the first session on Monday to secure more than three points.
The University of Mysore crowd witnessed contrasting batting styles on Sunday, with Jose and Siddharth delivering exceptional performances. Under pressure and with Manish Pandey unable to bat, Jose meticulously anchored Karnataka’s innings, combining effectively with Sharath Srinivas (49 runs off 100 balls, including 4 boundaries) for a partnership worth 148 runs.
Jose’s innings included well-placed punches and occasional boundary hits, reaching his fifty with a back-foot punch off Felix Alemao and a cut behind square off Deepraj Gaonkar. Unfortunately, Jose’s dismissal was unconventional, as a powerful pull off Darshan Misal deflected off the short-leg fielder Gaonkar’s helmet into the hands of slip fielder Snehal Kauthankar.
On the other hand, Goa’s Siddharth showcased an aggressive batting approach, scoring briskly with impressive drives and a stunning six over cover off V. Koushik. Despite Siddharth’s confidence, his partner Suyash Prabhudessai (34 not out off 82 balls, including 3 boundaries) struggled against the spinners. Karnataka’s left-armers Rohit Kumar and Shubhang Hegde faced challenges on the track, while Goan bowler Misal concluded with a six-for (6/134).
The scores:
Goa – 1st innings: 321.
Karnataka – 1st innings:D. Nischal was adjudged leg before wicket (lbw) by Misal after scoring 16, Mayank Agarwal was caught by Gadekar off Misal’s delivery after making 114 runs, Devdutt Padikkal was caught by Misal off Redkar’s bowling after scoring 103, Nikin Jose was caught by Kauthankar off Misal’s delivery after scoring 107, Rohit Kumar was caught by Dubhashi off Redkar’s delivery after scoring 2, Sharath Srinivas was caught by Kauthankar off Misal’s delivery after contributing 49 runs, Shubhang Hegde was declared leg before wicket (lbw) by Misal after scoring 36, M. Venkatesh was adjudged leg before wicket (lbw) by Redkar after scoring 3, V. Vyshak was caught by Dubhashi off Misal’s delivery after making 8, and V. Koushik remained not out with a score of 9. The team’s total was 498 for nine wickets, declared, in 126.4 overs, with 51 extras (comprising 24 byes, 9 leg byes, 12 wides, and 6 no-balls).
Fall of wickets: 1-27, 2-238, 3-246, 4-253, 5-401, 6-473, 7-478, 8-482.
Goa bowling: Tendulkar 15-1-70-0, Parab 18-0-63-0, Misal 47.4-4-134-6, Redkar 32-4-119-3, Alemao 13-1-69-0, Gaonkar 1-0-10-0.
Goa – 2nd innings: Ishaan Gadekar b Vyshak 1, Suyash Prabhudessai (batting) 34, K.V. Siddharth (batting) 57; Extras (w-1): 1; Total (for one wkt. in 27 overs): 93.
Fall of wicket: 1-1.
Karnataka bowling: Koushik 7-1-27-0, Vyshak 4-0-18-1, Rohit 6-0-27-0, Shubhang 7-0-17-0, Venkatesh 3-2-4-0.
