Karnataka captain Vinay Kumar opted to bowl in the quarter-final against Mumbai in Nagpur and ran through the batting line-up with a hat-trick that spanned across the first and third overs of the innings. A look at whom he dimissed and how:
0.6: Prithvi Shaw has three hundreds this season but even with 30 hundreds this is a poor shot. He flayed at the first ball away from his body, and he does so again just after getting an inside edge onto his pad. This is short of a length, outside off, Shaw’s feet are rooted, but he looks to punch this away through cover. The ball shapes away enough to take a thick edge for Karun Nair to swallow at first slip. Shaw’s feet are in the air at the time of contact as he looks to reach this ball away from his body.
Prithvi Shaw c Karun Nair b Vinay Kumar 2
Fall of wicket: 6 for 1 (0.6 overs)
2.1: Jay Bista repeats the mistake Shaw made. This is an identical delivery to the one that got Shaw. Short of a length, just outside off, and he looks for a cover drive off the back foot. Just like Shaw, his feet don’t move and are airborne when he makes the connection. This ball doesn’t shape away as much as the last one, and the edge is finer, which is why there is confusion at slips. Nair waits for wicketkeeper CM Gautam to go for the catch to his right, but he doesn’t. And then belatedly Nair sticks his left hand out, and the ball sticks. Vinay is on a hat-trick.
Jay Bista c Karun Nair b Vinay Kumar 1
Fall of wicket: 7 for 2 (2.1 overs)
2.2: Mumbai have sent in fast bowler Akash Parkar ahead of specialist batsmen. Are they looking to unsettle Karnataka bowling or are they protecting their batsmen, who should be out there and negotiating this period? Either way this plan is short-lived as Vinay bowls an unplayable delivery to complete his hat-trcik. This is full, shaping up as an outswinger, pitches full and on off. Parkar plays for the outswinger, but the ball lands on the seam and changes its direction to seam in and hit him plumb in front. Tenth Ranji hat-trick for a Karnataka bowler. Mumbai in tatters.
Akash Parkar lbw b Vinay Kumar 0
Fall of wicket 7 for 3 (2.2 overs)
Source: ESPN Crickinfo