New Delhi: KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal stitched a massive 278-run partnership for the second wicket to put Karnataka in a strong position against Uttarakhand in the first semifinal of the Ranji Trophy in Lucknow.
Rahul scored 141 runs off 211 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and five maximums, and was dismissed by Aditya Rawat just before the last hour of Day 1 play. Padikkal remained unbeaten on 148 runs as Karnataka finished on 355/2 at stumps.
Uttarakhand got off to a great start after opting to bowl first as Aditya Rawat dismissed Mayank Agarwal for 5. But once Rahul and Padikkal got settled, Karnataka dominated the game throughout the day.
The duo smashed left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra for maximums straight down the ground. Rahul completed his second consecutive ton in the 28th over, and Padikkal reached the milestone with a six over long-on.
After Rahul’s dismissal, Karun Nair batted well and added 59 runs for the third wicket along with Padikkal. Nair remained unbeaten on 37 runs off 65 balls, hitting five boundaries and one maximum.
Sudip Kumar Gharami shines for Bengal
Sudip Kumar Gharami scored an unbeaten 136 to rescue Bengal against Jammu & Kashmir in the second semifinal of the tournament in Kalyani. He came to bat in the second over and took Bengal from 89/3 to 249/5 by stumps.
He forged an 85-run partnership for the second wicket with captain Abhimanyu Easwaran after Sunil Kumar removed Sudip Chatterjee. After J&K had elected to bowl first, their pacers Sunil, Auqib Nabi and Yudhvir Singh tested Bengal batters with swing and seam movement from the pitch.
Nabi dismissed Easwaran (49) in his first over after lunch, and Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal was caught behind in his next over. Anustup Majumdar forged a 66-run partnership with Gharami for the fourth wicket.
J&K made a comeback in the match, but Shahbaz and Gharami took the game away from them, stitching a 94-run partnership for the fifth wicket. But, Sunil Kumar removed Shahbaz for 42 in the final over of the day as Bengal reached 249/5 at stumps.