Prasidh Krishna extracted lift, bowled with a fair amount of pace, and blended it with good control to take a five-for in the ongoing Ranji Trophy final between Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). However, J&K’s players went into the lunch break the happier of the two sides. After opting to bat, they posted a massive total of 584. Then, on the stroke of lunch, Auqib Nabi removed KL Rahul to leave Karnataka at 35 for 1, still in arrears by 549.
At the start of the day, Karnataka needed quick wickets to restrict J&K to under 600. Prasidh once more bowled with hostility, adding two wickets to his tally. The key was his ability to touch 140 kph after bowling 30 overs. It was heartening to observe an Indian seamer extracting extra bounce from a slow surface.
Yudhvir Singh was the last batter to be dismissed, with Devdutt Padikkal effecting a direct hit. So how did Padikkal go about his business as captain? Perhaps the forward short leg fielder was positioned a little too deep for Prasidh on day one? Maybe the fields could have been set better for the lower-order batters?
For J&K, it was their collective effort that steered them close to 600. On day three, Sahil Lotra became the sixth J&K batter to register a fifty-plus score. Shubham Pundir top-scored with 121. Yawer Hassan also deserves a mention for negating the early new-ball threat on day one.
Rahul and Mayank Agarwal then looked largely untroubled. However, Nabi continued to bowl with an upright seam and brought the stumps into play, and was rewarded with Rahul’s wicket. Initially, the on-field umpire declined the loud appeal for caught behind. But J&K had the decision overturned via DRS. As soon as Ultra edge showed a spike, a loud roar erupted in the J&K camp. In summary, it was a prized scalp.
At the fag end of the first session, the on-field umpires appeared to be having a chat with Paras Dogra, the J&K captain. Leaving that aside, J&K will look to work on the ball. In these conditions, one of the few ways to take wickets is to ensure that the old ball moves around.
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