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BENGALURU: When two out of the seven league engagements earn a mere two points – for reasons beyond a team’s control – qualification for the Ranji Trophy knockouts is a tough ask.
This season, Karnataka found themselves in a precarious position after two unfinished matches, and after letting Uttar Pradesh off the hook and settling for a draw.
Mayank Agarwal’s team still kept itself in the hunt for a quarterfinal berth until a resurgent Haryana outfit took 64 minutes on Friday morning – Day Two of their final league engagement– to dash those hopes at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
After bowling out Karnataka for 304 in 101 overs, a defiant Haryana, powered by their skipper Ankit Kumar‘s century (118 off 154b; 19×4) were 232/5 in 66 overs when stumps were drawn. The away team, trailing by 72 runs, didn’t have stars to bank on but were all heart and purpose.
Karnataka needed to win with a bonus point to get past Haryana in the race to qualification after Kerala shut out Bihar by an innings and169 runs in less than two days. Karnataka had to bowl out Haryana for 154 to enforce a follow-on, but that wasn’t even on the horizon as Haryana firmed up their first quarterfinals berth since losing to Jharkhand in the last-eight in the 2016-17 season. Haryana, even if they lose the match will still qualify as the second team from Group C.
On a rather placid wicket, the home team’s proven pace trio of Prasidh Krishna, Vidwath Kaverappa and V Koushik failed to make early inroads. In a scenario when they needed to attack the stumps, they chose to bowl wide off the stumps and didn’t probe the batters.
It did not help their cause that they missed the service of their seasoned leggie Shreyas Gopal in the crunch tie. His replacement, left-arm spinner Hardik Raj, was easy picking for the opposition.
Haryana openers Lakshya and Ankit got the team off to a steady start with their 74-run association, which was broken by Yashovardhan Parantap (2/42) in the 23rd over with KL Rahul coming away with a good catch in the slips. By then the damage was done with both Prasidh and Kaverappa proving largely ineffective.
On Day 1 if Karnataka’s hope had dimmed after their star-studded batting line-up failed to convert starts and finished with 267/5, Haryana bowlers shut out the remaining five batters for the addition of 37 runs in 12 overs before their skipper carried the innings on his able shoulders.
Two deliveries into the day, Haryana opted for the new ball and the success was almost instant, as overnight bat KL Shrijith slashed Anshul Kamboj’s (4/32) delivery to Ankit, but the fielder failed to hold on to the regulation catch at first slip. In his ensuing over the tireless Kamboj was again unlucky when Shrijith’s outside edge fell agonizingly short of wicketkeeper Rohit Sharma.
Ajit Chahal signalled the end of the 64-run sixth wicket association between overnight batters Shrijith and Parantap (35) with a pitched-up delivery which the latter nicked to Ankit in the slips cordon. While Anuj Thakral (4/88) ended Shrijith’s resistance with a bouncer which was snapped up by Kamboj in the deep, the latter sent Prasidh and Vidwath Kaverappa’s stumps cartwheeling.
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