Hubballi: Karnataka’s seasoned campaigner Mayank Agarwal stood tall with a gritty unbeaten 130 to keep his side in the contest after a dominant showing by Jammu and Kashmir in the Ranji Trophy final.
Trailing a mammoth first-innings total of 584, Karnataka ended Day 3 at 220/5, still with plenty of work to do. The top order struggled under relentless pressure from the J&K bowling attack. KL Rahul departed early for 13 off 39 balls, dismissed by Auqib Nabi, who then rocked the innings further by removing Karun Nair and Smaran Ravichandran for ducks.
Captain Devdutt Padikkal could not make a significant impact, falling for a brisk 11 off 10 deliveries after lunch as Sunil Kumar tightened J&K’s grip on proceedings. With wickets falling at regular intervals, it was Mayank who absorbed the pressure, displaying patience and resolve to carry Karnataka’s hopes into Day 4.
Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir posted a commanding 584 in their first innings. Abid Mushtaq scored 28 before being dismissed by Prasidh Krishna, while Sahil Lotra’s composed 72 was ended by Vijaykumar Vyshak as Karnataka wrapped up the innings.
The first-time finalists had already built a formidable platform by reaching 527/6 at stumps on Day 2 before bad light stopped play. Centuries from Shubham Pundir (121) and valuable contributions from Abdul Samad (61) laid the foundation, while skipper Paras Dogra (70) and wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan (70) added a crucial 110-run stand to push the total beyond Karnataka’s reach.
With a significant deficit still to erase, the Day 4 battle between Mayank Agarwal and Auqib Nabi could well decide the destiny of the Ranji Trophy final. Karnataka will bank on Mayank’s resilience, while Jammu and Kashmir sense a historic triumph in their maiden appearance in the summit clash.
Source: Hindustan Times
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