How did Padikkal and Karun's centuries lead Karnataka to victory against Kerala?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair scored centuries, driving Karnataka to victory.
- Karnataka chased down a target of 284 runs with ease.
- Karnataka secured their second consecutive win in the tournament.
- Baba Aparajith and Mohammed Azharuddeen were top scorers for Kerala.
- Jharkhand bounced back with a win against Rajasthan.
New Delhi, Dec 26 (NationPress) Exceptional centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair propelled the reigning champions Karnataka to a convincing eight-wicket triumph over their rivals Kerala in the Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group A match held in Ahmedabad on Friday.
The duo forged a remarkable 223-run partnership for the second wicket, facing just 234 balls as Karnataka successfully chased down Kerala’s total of 284/7, finishing the game with 10 balls to spare. After opting to field first, Karnataka managed to restrict Kerala after they found themselves in a precarious position at 49 for three.
Baba Aparajith (71 off 62) and wicketkeeper Mohammed Azharuddeen (84 off 58) played crucial roles in their recovery. Abhilash Shetty stood out with figures of 3-59, while Shreyas Gopal added 2-61 to his tally. Karnataka lost their captain Mayank Agarwal early in the innings, but Padikkal and Nair took charge, guiding their team to their second consecutive win.
In another matchup, Madhya Pradesh edged past Tamil Nadu by two wickets in a nail-biting contest. B Sai Sudharsan (51) and captain Narayan Jagadeesan (55) laid a solid foundation with a 115-run opening partnership, while Mohammed Ali contributed 57 and Sunny Sandhu added 43, leading Tamil Nadu to 280 in 49.3 overs. Kumar Kartikeya was the standout bowler for MP with figures of 3-62.
Yash Dubey (92 off 109) and wicketkeeper Himanshu Mantri (90 off 94) responded brilliantly in MP’s chase, forming a crucial 178-run partnership for the second wicket as they completed the chase with four balls to spare.
Jharkhand bounced back from their initial defeat against Karnataka to secure a comfortable 73-run win over Rajasthan. Opener Shikhar Mohan scored 129 off 118 balls while Anukul Roy contributed a brisk 52 off 43 balls, leading Jharkhand to a total of 301. Despite a century from Karan Lamba (102), Rajasthan fell short, all out for 228.
Tripura celebrated their first win of the tournament with a dominant seven-wicket victory against Puducherry, who were bowled out for just 150, with Swapnil Singh taking three wickets. Captain Udiyan Bose (53) and Vijay Shankar (47 not out) steered Tripura to victory in 32.3 overs.
Brief scores:
Kerala 284/7 in 50 overs (Mohammed Azharuddeen 84, Baba Aparajith 71; Abhilash Shetty 3/59) lost to Karnataka 285/2 in 48.2 overs (Karun Nair 130 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 124) by eight wickets
Tamil Nadu 280 all out in 49.3 overs (Mohammed Ali 57, Narayan Jagadeesan 55; Kumar Kartikeya 3/62) lost to Madhya Pradesh 283/8 in 49.2 overs (Yash Dubey 92, Himanshu Mantri 90; Govinth Ganesh 4-54) by two wickets
Jharkhand 301 all out in 50 overs (Shikhar Mohan 129, Anukul Roy 52; Khaleel Ahmed 4-49) beat Rajasthan 228 all out in 50 overs (Karan Lamba 102; Shubham Singh 6-50) by 73 runs
Puducherry 150 all out in 41.3 overs (Jayant Yadav 51; Viki Saha 3-23) lost to Tripura 151/3 in 32.3 overs (Udiyan Bose 53, Vijay Shankar 47 not out; Sagar Udeshi 2-16) by seven wickets