Srinagar, Feb 26: Jammu and Kashmir continued to dominate the Ranji Trophy final against Karnataka, tightening their grip on the contest despite a resilient century from Mayank Agarwal on Day 3 at the KSCA Hubli ground.
Resuming the day in a commanding position, J&K’s lower order added valuable runs to their overnight total, eventually getting bowled out for a mammoth 584, putting Karnataka under immense pressure in their first innings.
In reply, Karnataka had a shaky start as J&K bowlers made early inroads. Auqib Nabi struck with the new ball, troubling the top order with both inswing and outswing before removing KL Rahul, a key batter early. The pressure mounted further when Sunil Kumar delivered a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Devdutt Padikkal, caught in the slips.
Auqib Nabi then turned the game decisively in J&K’s favour with a fiery spell, claiming back-to-back wickets of Karun Nair and Smaran Ravichandran, leaving Karnataka reeling at 57/4 and staring at a collapse.
Amid the crisis, Mayank Agarwal stood tall with a determined and composed innings. Showing grit and patience, he anchored the innings brilliantly and punished loose deliveries to keep Karnataka in the hunt. He found solid support from Shreyas Gopal, and the duo stitched together a crucial 105-run partnership that helped stabilise the innings.
However, J&K struck back as Yudhvir Singh broke the stand, trapping Gopal leg-before-wicket for 27, ending a key resistance.
Agarwal, undeterred, went on to convert his half-century into a well-crafted century, finishing unbeaten on 130 off 207 balls, studded with 17 boundaries. He was ably supported towards the end of the day by Kruthik Krishna, who remained unbeaten on 27.
At stumps, Karnataka were 220/5 in 69 overs, still trailing by a massive 364 runs, with a daunting task ahead to avoid the follow-on.
J&K spinner Abid Mushtaq bowled a disciplined spell, maintaining control in the middle overs, though he remained wicketless. Abdul Samad also kept things tight in the final overs as J&K ensured there were no late breakthroughs for Karnataka.
A crucial moment late in the day saw J&K miss an opportunity to tighten their grip even further, as Kanhaiya Wadhawan dropped Agarwal on 124, a miss that could prove costly if Karnataka stage a comeback.
Despite Agarwal’s heroics, the day clearly belonged to Jammu and Kashmir, who now stand on the brink of history in their maiden Ranji Trophy final appearance.
Heading into Day 4, Karnataka face an uphill battle, needing a massive effort with the bat to first avoid the follow-on and then attempt to claw their way back into the match, while J&K will look to wrap up the innings early and push for a historic title triumph—(KNO)
