Rahul's unbeaten fifty hands Karnataka edge against Mumbai

Mumbai, Feb 8 (PTI) India batter KL Rahul hit a fine half-century to hand Karnataka a slight edge over Mumbai at stumps on the third day of their Ranji Trophy quarterfinal here on Sunday.

Chasing 325, Rahul was unbeaten on 60 off 94 balls with the help of seven boundaries and together with captain Devdutt Padikkal (39), shared 84 runs for the second wicket to help Karnataka end the day at 113 for two in 29 overs, needing another 212 runs to register an outright win.

Karun Nair (9 not out) was at the crease alongside Rahul at the close of play.

Off-spinner Tanush Kotian (1/13) and skipper Shardul Thakur (1/24) picked up a wicket each for Mumbai.

Earlier, resuming their second innings at 189 for 2, wicket-keeper Akash Anand (70) added 17 runs to his

overnight score while Musheer Khan made 49.

Towards the back end of the innings, Kotian scored an unbeaten 48, while Tushar Deshpande made 47 to help Mumbai post 377 all out in 98.3 overs, thereby setting a target of 325 runs before Karnataka.

Left-arm spinner Shikhar Shetty was the pick of the bowlers for Karnataka in Mumbai’s second essay with figures of 3/45. He was ably supported by right-arm medium pacers Vidyadhar Patil (2/78) and Vidwath Kaverappa (2/78).

With eight wickets in hand and in-form Rahul and Nair at the crease, the target should not pose much problem for Karnataka, if not for a major batting collapse.

Sent into bowl, Karnataka bundled out Mumbai for 120 and then struggled to 173 to take the vital first innings lead.

For Mumbai, India opener Yashavi Jaiswal struggled in both the innings, scoring 5 and 36 respectively.

For Karnataka, Mayank Agarwal made 92 in the first innings with Rahul contributing 28.

Seasoned pacers Mohit Avasthi (4/27) and Deshpande (4/33) spearheaded a strong Mumbai comeback on the second day, picking up four wickets each.

Brief Scores: Brief Scores.

Mumbai: 120 & 377 all out in 98.3 overs (Akash Ananad 70, Musheer Khan 49, Tansh Kotian 48, Tshar Deshpande 47; Shikhar Shetty 3/45.) Karnataka: 173 & 113 for 2 in 29 overs (KL Rahul 60, Devdutt Padikkal 39; Tanush Kotian 1/13). PTI SSC SSC AH AH