Karnataka, needing only a first-innings lead to secure a quarter-final spot, put one foot into the knockouts after taking five Uttar Pradesh wickets at the Green Park in Kanpur. After Karnataka eventually finished their first innings on 655, adding 13 to their overnight score, UP openers Umang Sharma (89) and Shivam Chaudhary (57) put on 106 for the first wicket. But UP’s middle order crumbled after that – captain Suresh Raina was out for a three-ball duck – as they finished the day on 243 for 5, still 412 runs behind Karnataka.
The third day started well for UP. It took them only 6.1 overs to take the last three Karnataka wickets in the morning, with Imtiaz Ahmed finishing with career-best first-class figures of 6 for 110. Thereafter the century-stand between Umang and Chaudhary gave them just the right start, but the latter’s wicket in the 28th over began the slide. K Gowtham got the first wicket and in the next over Raina – in the middle of a torrid run – was trapped lbw by Ronit More. Rinku Singh came in at 173 for 4, and hit an unbeaten 50-ball 57 by stumps. Karnataka, still leading by over 400 runs, need five more wickets to secure qualification on the final day.
Three fifties from Assam’s batsmen helped them claw back into their encounter against Hyderabad at Barsapara Cricket Stadium. Assam started the day on 36 for 2, still trailing by 154 after being asked to follow on. Opener Rishav Das made 52, middle-order batsmen Amit Sinha struck an unbeaten 96 and Rajjakuddin Ahmed made 75 from No. 8 to give Assam a 110-run lead. They finished the day on 300 for 7.
Hyderabad’s bowlers, who bowled Assam out for 136 in the first innings, kept taking wickets at the top. Assam were 131 for 6 at one stage, but Sinha and Rajjakuddin stitched together a 120-run partnership for the seventh wicket to take them into the lead. Rajjakuddin, a medium-bowling allrounder playing only his second first-class match, struck nine fours and three sixes to earn his maiden fifty. Sinha finished the day four runs short of what could be his second first-class hundred. Wickets were shared around by the Hyderabad bowlers, with Ravi Kiran and Sudeep Tyagi taking two wickets each.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo