BENGALURU: Two captains, both double centurions, but a world of difference. While Mayank Agarwal (249) rescued Karnataka after his top-order batters failed, his Saurashtra counterpart Arpit Vasavada's (202; 406b; 21x4; 1x6) knock ensured his team took a step closer to the final. The crucial trick the home team missed was teamwork, which Vasavada & co so proudly showed.
On the penultimate day of the Ranji Trophy semifinal here on Saturday, the hosts were on the back foot, hoping to pull off a miracle on the final day.
Responding to Karnataka's first innings tally of 407, Saurashtra put up 527 with Chirag Jani (72) supporting his skipper. With a 120-run first innings lead, the visiting side had a firm grip on the contest. Karnataka were 123/4 at close, just three runs ahead.
As Karnataka's lacklustre fielding display continued, Saurashtra remained focused on their task. It took Vasavada and Jani a little over an hour to wipe out the 43-run deficit they had at the start of the day. Once the innings lead was in the kitty, Vasavada and Jani waited for the loose balls to score. The 142-run association ended just before lunch when Jani was run out.
In the second session, Karnataka operated spinners K Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal (2/113) at either end. The latter struck off consecutive balls, sending back Prerak Mankad and Parth Bhut, both adjudged leg-before. Pacer Vidwath Kaverappa (5/83) began to chip away at the lower order even as Vasavada helped himself to a double century, which came off 400 balls.
The 34-year-old's vigil finally ended when an inside edge off Kaverappa dislodged the bails.
Brief scores: Karnataka 407 & 123-4 (Mayank Agarwal 55, Nikin Jose 54*; Sakariya 2-24) vs Saurashtra 527 (Arpit Vasavada 202, Chirag Jani 72; Kaverappa 5-83, Gopal 2-113)
Bengal close on final spot
Bengal seem to have closed all routes for Madhya Pradesh to stage a fightback, finishing the fourth day at 279 for nine to extend their lead to a mammoth 547 in their Ranji Trophy semifinal at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Saturday.
The highest successful chase in Ranji Trophy history was 372 runs, recorded by Saurashtra in their quarterfinal win over Uttar Pradesh in the 2018-2019 season. Bengal's march to their second final in three seasons now looks a mere formality.
Bengal lost to Saurashtra in the final in 2019-2020.
Brief Scores: Bengal 438 & 279-9 (S Gharami 41, A Majumdar 80, S Ahmed 29, P Pramanik 60*;Kartikeya 3-63, Jain 6-103) vs MP 170
