Karnataka 689-6 dec (Devdutt Padikkal 232, KL Rahul 141, R Smaran 121*, Aditya Rawat 3-132) v Uttarakhand
J&K 198-5 (Abdul Samad 82, Paras Dogra 58, Mohammed Shami 3-60) trail Bengal 328 (Sudip Gharami 146, Auqib Nabi 5-87) by 130 runs
Lucknow first, and the numbers tell most of the story. Karnataka batted through a second full day, closing on 689 for six. Devdutt Padikkal, 148 overnight, pushed on to a maiden double-ton – 232 from 308 balls – before finally gloving a leg-side tickle off part-timer Lakshya Raichandani. It was a long spell in the middle yet, as Padikkal said a fortnight ago, “I’ve been trying to bat time; the runs look after themselves.”
KL Rahul’s 141 and youngster R Smaran’s unbeaten 121 – his fifth first-class hundred – kept the board racing on what is, bluntly, a very flat deck. Karun Nair and Kruthik Krishna chipped in with brisk fifties; the pair added 123 for the sixth wicket after Padikkal’s exit and, by the time Smaran guided them past 650, Uttarakhand’s bowlers had been in the field for 180 overs in two days. Aditya Rawat’s three-for offered a sliver of consolation, but fingers were already strapping up for another leather-chasing session on day three.
Across in Kalyani, the ebb and flow felt more typical of semi-final cricket. Bengal extended 268 for 6 to 328, largely through Sudip Kumar Gharami, who moved from 136 to 146 before Auqib Nabi trapped him lbw – Nabi’s fifth wicket, a skilful mix of seam and cutters. The hosts then lost four for 37, Mohammed Shami last man out pulling to square leg, but Sumanta Gupta’s breezy 39 ensured a competitive total.
The new-ball burst that followed was pure Shami. In six overs he and Mukesh Kumar cut Jammu & Kashmir to 13 for three, the ball darting just enough on a surface with occasional nip. Abdul Samad countered, hammering 82 from 85 – plenty through his favoured mid-wicket arc – while Paras Dogra held one end in a watchful 58. “We spoke about absorbing pressure, then cashing in,” Samad noted to local radio; his stand of 143 with Dogra dragged the visitors back.
Shami, returning just before the second new ball, pinned Samad in front, and Mukesh had Dogra fending to slip shortly after. Abid Mushtaq and Kanhaiya Wadhawan survived to stumps, J&K 198 for five, still 130 behind yet sensing the pitch is no minefield.
So, two contrasting contests. Karnataka have already batted Uttarakhand almost out of the match; Bengal, thanks to old-hand Shami and a still-newish Gharami, just have their noses ahead, but another brisk Samad session could swing things again. Semi-final cricket rarely stays settled for long – tomorrow should tell us plenty.
