A poor batting performance left Karnataka on the back foot against Madhya Pradesh on the second day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group B encounter at the Alur (1) ground here on Friday.
In reply to Madhya Pradesh’s 323, Karnataka was found wanting in temperament and shot selection. With the exception of opener K.V. Aneesh (80 batting, 153b, 8×4), the others — including the likes of established names Mayank Agarwal (0), Devdutt Padikkal (0) and Karun Nair (12) — let the side down. The home finished the day on a precarious 168 for eight, trailing by 155 runs.
The slide started with captain Mayank, who poked at one to backward point at the stroke of lunch. Southpaw Padikkal, the man in form, was trapped on the pads by Saransh Jain and adjudged leg-before. Padikkal expressed disappointment at the umpire’s decision, suggesting that he got bat on it.
Karun, the team’s highest run-scorer in this campaign, set off for a risky single. A brilliant piece of athleticism and a direct hit from Rajat Patidar left Karun short of the crease. Right through the Karnataka essay, a heavy emphasis was placed on taking quick singles and twos, when risk should have been avoided altogether.
Wicketkeeper K.L. Shrijith slashed hard outside off and edged it.
Shrijith was soon followed to the hut by Abhinav Manohar, who ran down the track to Saransh and missed the ball completely to be out stumped.
In quick time, on a pitch which remained batting-friendly, Karnataka fell to 60 for five. Aneesh and Shreyas Gopal (41, 76b, 5×4) then calmed the nerves with a dogged 82-run stand.
Aneesh was game for a fight, displaying terrific focus and grit even as wickets tumbled around him. The 24-year-old recorded his maiden First Class fifty, in what will count as a defining knock in his fledgling career.
Saransh (three for 42) was a perennial threat among the Madhya Pradesh bowlers. The experienced off-spinner relentlessly honed in on a good
length, building the pressure with every dot ball.
The afternoon session witnessed an interesting battle between Saransh and Aneesh. The latter was on edge, dabbing deliveries onto the ground while narrowly avoiding the close-in fielders. Saransh held his hips and stared hard at the fortunate batter, prompting Aneesh to respond with a big lofted shot over mid-on.
Aneesh will have to stand tall once again on Saturday morning, as Karnataka will first seek to knock off six runs to avoid the follow-on mark.
The scores: Madhya Pradesh — 1st innings: Yash Dubey c Vidyadhar b Shikhar 29, Himanshu Mantri lbw b Vyshak 39, Shubham Sharma c (sub) Kruthik b Shreyas 33, Venkatesh Iyer c Kaverappa b Vyshak 87, Rajat Patidar c Aneesh b Shreyas 30, Saransh Jain lbw b Kaverappa 32, Aryan Pandey c (sub) Kruthik b Kaverappa 5, Akshat Raghuvanshi b Vidyadhar 22, Sagar Solanki c (sub) Kruthik b Vidyadhar 20, Kumar Kartikeya b Vidyadhar 0, Kuldeep Sen (not out) 0; Extras (b-9, lb-10, w-7): 26; Total (in 116.1 overs): 323.
Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-89, 3-164, 4-233, 5-233, 6-256, 7-281, 8-322, 9-322.
Karnataka bowling: Kaverappa 20-6-50-2, Vidyadhar 22.1-4-56-3, Vyshak 22-5-71-2, Shikhar 27-4-70-1, Shreyas 24-7-56-2, Karun 1-0-1-0.
Karnataka —1st innings: K.V. Aneesh (batting) 80, Mayank Agarwal c Solanki b Aryan 0, Devdutt Padikkal lbw b Saransh 0, Karun Nair run out 12, K.L. Shrijith c Mantri b Kuldeep 7, Abhinav Manohar st. Mantri b Saransh 14, Shreyas Gopal lbw b Saransh 41, Shikhar Shetty lbw b Aryan 5, Vidyadhar Patil b Solanki 4, V. Vyshak (not out) 2; Extras (lb-3): 3; Total (for eight wkts. in 58 overs): 168.
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-5, 3-19, 4-39, 5-60, 6-142, 7-155, 8-162.
Madhya Pradesh bowling: Kartikeya 10-1-45-0, Aryan 10-1-25-2, Saransh 19-3-42-3, Kuldeep 9-1-32-1, Solanki 10-3-21-1.
Published – January 23, 2026 07:38 pm IST
