Karnataka was defeated by a margin of six runs in 264 (Kshitij 95, Umang 72, Koushik 4-49) and 219 (Umang 57, Hingrajia 56, Koushik 3-16, Rohit 3-61) over 103 (Padikkal 31, Desai 7-42, Vaghela 3-38). Karnataka scored 374 (Agarwal 109, Manish 88, Raja 6-65).
Karnataka was defeated by a margin of six runs in 264 (Kshitij 95, Umang 72, Koushik 4-49) and 219 (Umang 57, Hingrajia 56, Koushik 3-16, Rohit 3-61) over 103 (Padikkal 31, Desai 7-42, Vaghela 3-38). Karnataka scored 374 (Agarwal 109, Manish 88, Raja 6-65).
Siddharth Desai, a left-arm spinner, assisted Gujarat in capturing six points from Karnataka on an exhilarating morning in Ahmedabad. Gujarat defended 109 in the fourth innings, and his seven-for facilitated an astonishing six-wicket victory. Karnataka were in command with 50 for 0 in less than ten overs when Desai reversed the tide of the match with six consecutive wickets.
Shortly thereafter, Karnataka fell to 62 for 4, 77 for 7, and were bundled out for 103.
Desai troubled Karnataka on a pitch where the ball viciously rebounded and turned by moving around the wicket, at times wide of the crease, and supplemented the pressure with close-in fielders. Karnataka got off to a strong start in the final innings, with Devdutt Padikkal and Mayank Agarwal, who scored the only centurion of the match, both scoring rapidly. Desai and Chintan Gaja, both bowlers with a medium pace, had begun the match on the offensive, but Agarwal and Padikkal quickly gained the upper hand. Agarwal amassed 19 runs off 29 balls, including four fours, while Padikkal scored 31 runs in a single 29 balls, including four fours and a six.
However, Desai achieved a breakthrough with the dismissal of Agarwal in the tenth over, and in the over that followed, he dismissed Nikin Jose and Padikkal. Karnataka were suddenly 56 for 3. With Manish Pandey, R Samarth (who had opened the first innings), and Shubhang Hegde on the horizon, time was not an issue, and the situation was not yet alarming.
Nevertheless, Desai was on a mission. Desai claimed his fourth wicket with Pandey’s failure, and by the 18th over of his innings, he had added Sujay Sateri and Vijaykumar Vyshak to his tally, leaving Karnataka struggling at 74 for 6.
Gujarat captain Gaja withdrew after bowling only two overs, bringing in offspinner Rinkesh Vaghela, who joined the action by dismissing Samarth and Hegde, who had amassed 27 runs in 37 deliveries. Desai subsequently dismissed Rohit Kumar, who had conceded his third run in the innings, to complete his tally, while Vaghela completed the game with his third, Prasidh Krishna, in the 27th over.
Karnataka had had a strong start to the day and the majority of the match up until they reached 50 for no loss in their second innings. Gujarat, who had already surrendered a 110-run first-innings advantage and were 171 for 7 overnight, were wiped out in 12.2 overs of play, adding 48 runs in the process. Those proved to be crucial in the final analysis.
Gujarat ascended to the summit of the Elite Group C standings with this victory, accumulating 12 points from two victories in two games.
