New Delhi, Jan 2:
It was a thorough professional performance by Karnataka as they crushed hosts Delhi by eight wickets to end their Ranji Trophy group league engagements as table toppers with 38 points from eight games.
The visitors got some nice match practice ahead of their quarterfinal match, as they chased down a paltry victory target of 115 in 29 overs after dismissing Delhi for 201 in 77.4 overs. This was Karnataka’s fifth outright win this season.
Opener Mayank Agarwal clobbered the Delhi spinners scoring 68 off 96 balls as the match finished well before tea. Mayank, who plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore hit six fours and three sixes.
For Delhi, this was a season they would like to forget as senior players like Virender Sehwag became a liability for the team without any significant contribution throughout the series. The youngsters like Vaibhav Rawal, Unmukt Chand weren’t consistent enough and the bowling was largely dependant on Ashish Nehra (28 wickets), while the other bowlers didn’t complement the veteran pacer as they ideally should have.
Fittingly, Karnataka outbatted, outbowled and outfielded Delhi in this match to show why they have been one of the most consistent domestic teams this season. Even without the services of Robin Uthappa, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Mithun, they looked like a formidable force.
It was a matter of time on the final day for Karnataka to coast to victory. The wickets were shared by pacers Ronit More (3/39), HS Sharath (3/35) along with leggie Shreyash Gopal (3/23) and left-arm spinner Abrar Kazi (1/18). (PTI)
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