Ranji final: J&K eye key first innings lead despite Mayank’s unbeaten 130

The Ranji Trophy final between eight-time champions Karnataka and the unfancied Jammu & Kashmir is turning out to be a real battle of attrition. Former Karnataka captain Mayank Agarwal stood tall with a gritty unbeaten 130 after in-form J&K pacer Aquib Nabi rocked their top order early on day three to leave the hosts at 220/5 at Hubli on Thursday.

Earlier, the J&K innings ended at an imposing 584, which means Karnataka are still adrift by 364 runs with two more days to go. With the match set to be decided on the strength of the first innings, there is still plenty of cricket left, and the team with a first-innings lead has everything to win.

There could be another twist in the title, albeit unlikely. If the team batting second is not bowled out, the first innings technically remains incomplete, which means the winner will be decided based on league stage points standings rather than the match situation, which will again tilt the balance towards Devdutt Padikkal’s men.

For J&K, the mission is clear: dismiss Karnataka outright and secure a first-innings lead as only a draw guarantees them the title. With that in mind, they dished out a testing day to their fancied rivals, which saw the tall Nabi (14-3-32-3) get something out of a lifeless track to remove big names K.L. Rahul (13), Karun Nair (0) and Smaran Ravichandran. After lunch, Sunil Kumar struck to send back Devdutt for a brisk 11 off 10 deliveries.

Mayank, who last played an international Test in March 2022 against Sri Lanka, displayed all the attributes which once made him one of the most prolific run-getters in first-class cricket. He and experienced allrounder Shreyas Gopal put together a patient 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket before the latter fell for a plucky 27 off 83 balls.

Earlier, Prasiddh Krishna provided the breakthrough by dismissing Abid Mushtaq for 28, while Vijaykumar Vyshak accounted for Sahil Lotra after his patient 72, wrapping up the innings for a mammoth 584. On day two, bad light stopped play with little more than an hour to go, and rain also played a role. The rain relented but the conditions didn't improve, and it remains to be seen whether the rain gods intervene again over the next two days.