Ranji Trophy: Gopal’s five-for good enough for Karnataka

Chasing a target of 333, UP were bundled out for 240 in 65.3 overs.

Karnataka players celebrate their win over Uttar Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal match at Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. PTI

Riding on leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal’s five-wicket haul, Karnataka beat UP by 92 runs to qualify to the semifinals of the Ranji Trophy. Chasing a target of 333, UP were bundled out for 240 in 65.3 overs.

Karnataka bowlers clinched the initiative from the visitors by using the first hour to their advantage and picked up five wickets to put UP almost out of contention. But Eklavya Dwivedi (33) and Piyush Chawla (44) put on a solid 70-run partnership for the seventh wicket to give Karnataka some anxious moments by keeping UP in the chase.

The 20-year-old Gopal, however, had the last laugh as he sent home Chawla, getting him caught by Karun Nair and thus shattering UP’s hopes. Gopal scalped five wickets for 59 in the second innings, unlike in the first innings where he went wicket-less after conceding 30 runs.

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Earlier, resuming at an overnight total of 55 for one, UP lost an early wicket in the form of Tanmay Srivastava, who added 21 runs to his overnight score of 23 before giving away his wicket to R Vinay Kumar. With over 300 runs and two centuries this season, much was expected from left hander Srivastava. Mohammad Kaif, who has had a poor season with just 217 runs from eight innings, was the next batsman to go for a nought after he gave a catch to Vinay off Abhimanyu Mithun’s bowling, leaving the visitors reeling at 86 for three.

Gopal then came into the act and scalped the next two wickets of Ali Murtaza (29) and Prashant Gupta (19). Mithun followed it up with the prized wicket of Parvinder Singh (8), who had scored a brilliant 92 in the first innings. In the post-lunch session, Gopal and Vinay polished off UP’s tail by claiming the last four wickets in quick succession. Vinay finished with two wickets in the second innings for his match haul of five for 121. Mithun was adjudged man of the match for his match haul of seven for 141.

Karnataka will now take on Punjab in the semifinals to be played in Mohali from January 18-22. (PTI)

Brief scores: Karnataka 349 &129 beat UP 221/9 decl & 240 all out (T Srivastava 44, P Chawla 44, S Gopal 5/59, A Mithun 3/71)

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