DINDIGUL: It was a day of two halves for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in Ranji Trophy game on Monday. While sloppy fielding cost Tamil Nadu more runs than they would have expected on Day 1 of the Elite Group B encounter, Karnataka recovered after early blows to post 259/6.
Karnataka owed their position to Devdutt Padikkal, who made 78 off 182 balls and shared a crucial 116-run partnership with Pavan Deshpande (65). In a star-studded line-up, it is not easy to come out of the shadow and perform.
Having done that in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s — he was the leading scorer in both tournaments — much was expected of him. Given that Karnataka did not have KL Rahul or KV Siddharth at the top, it was an opportunity for him to make a case for himself in this format.
Against a full-strength Tamil Nadu attack, the 19-year-old was made to toil for his fourth first-class fifty. For a player whose instinct is to go after bowlers in limited-over formats, Padikkal was found wanting in the first session. Against R Ashwin, he was not always comfortable. And with Tamil Nadu persisting with their senior-most bowler — Ashwin bowled 16 overs at a stretch before lunch and bowled five more after the break — Padikkal slowly yet firmly kept the scoreboard ticking.
After Mayank Agarwal (43) and Nair (8) were dismissed, the left-handed duo of Deshpande and Padikkal helped the team cross 200 from 88/3. That Padikkal was dropped thrice — on 2, 19, 64 — by debutant M Siddharth, was another story.In a team with four specialist spinners, it was part-timer Baba Aparajith who dismissed Padikkal when Karnataka were looking to score big. After the 100-plus stand, Tamil Nadu were back in the game in the third session when there was some assistance for spinners. For Karnataka, Shreyas Gopal reamined unbeaten on 35.
After being asked to bowl, Vijay Shankar & Co would be content with six wickets on a pitch where run-scoring did not seem to be difficult. However, it is fielding that the team would want to improve moving forward. Debutant left-arm spinner Siddharth, who had a forgettable day fielding, returned figures of 2/33.
Vijay fined, coach for DRS
Tamil Nadu’s Murali Vijay was fined 10 per cent of his match fee for showing dissent at a decision. During the 70th over with Deshpande batting on 56, two close appeals were turned down. Vijay, who was at the first slip, charged towards the umpire.
While there is no DRS in Ranji matches, Tamil Nadu coach D Vasu said he would have preferred to have technology in domestic cricket. “in tight games between two strong teams, small things can make a big difference. If technology and money are available, why not? Anything new that’s going to help the umpires as well the players is welcome. There is so much at stake these days for the players with regards to their careers.”
Brief scores: Karnataka 259/6 (Padikkal 78, Deshpande 65) vs TN.
Shaw sizzles on red-ball return
Prithvi Shaw marked his comeback to first-class cricket with a 62-ball 66 for Mumbai against Baroda. Shaw’s knock consisted of 11 boundaries and a six.
Brief scores: Mumbai 362/8 in 90 ovs (Shaw 66, Rahane 79, Mulani 56 n.o, Shardul 64; Bhargav 3/110) vs Baroda.
Snake delays start
VIJAYAWADA: The start of the match between Vidarbha and Andhra was delayed by a few minutes after a snake entered the ground. Vidarbha captain Faiz Fazal won the toss and elected to field. However, as players made their way to the middle, a snake was spotted and it resulted in a delay of a few minutes.