Mayank, Abhinav play out a draw for Karnataka

If the penultimate day had the drama of a typical Bollywood thriller, the finale turned out to be a tame climax. Karnataka, choosing safety over adventure, batted out the final day to secure a draw — with Mayank Agarwal’s century and Abhinav Manohar’s near-miss, the only moments of note in an otherwise dull finish to the Ranji Trophy Group B clash against Maharashtra at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday.

Mayank (103, 249b, 8×4, 1×6) and Abhinav, who made a fluent 96 (161, 11×4, 2×6), shared a 92-run stand that ensured Karnataka’s slender 13-run first-innings lead remained decisive. When the teams shook hands for an early tea, Karnataka had reached 302 for eight, content to walk away with three points while Maharashtra settled for one.

Starting the day at 144 for five, Karnataka appeared vulnerable. Maharashtra sensed a chance to engineer a chase, but Mayank and Abhinav defied them with patience and precision. The pair adopted a cautious approach against tweakers Jalaj Saxena and Vicky Ostwal, grinding out runs on a slow surface that offered little assistance to the bowlers.

Mayank survived an early leg-before shout, while wicketkeeper Saurabh Nawale missed a stumping chance off Abhinav — two moments that tilted the morning session in Karnataka’s favour. Once Mayank reached his 19th First Class hundred before missing a flick off offie Siddhesh Veer, any hopes of a Maharashtra resurgence faded.

With Karnataka showing no urgency to accelerate, the game drifted. Abhinav opened up briefly, hitting three boundaries off Rajneesh Gurbani, but perished four short of a century, offering Ostwal a return catch while trying to loft him straight.

With the visitors in control, Maharashtra didn’t press hard, resting Mukesh Choudhary, who didn’t bowl on the final day. In the end, Karnataka’s cautious approach paid off, securing three points, while Maharashtra were left ruing the slender deficit in the first innings.

The scores:

Karnataka – 1st innings: 313.

Maharashtra – 1st innings: 300.

Karnataka – 2nd innings: Aneesh K.V. c Arshin b Ostwal 17, Mayank Agarwal b Veer 103, K.L. Shrijith b Choudhary 29, Karun Nair c Ghosh b Choudhary 15, R. Smaran lbw b Choudhary 4, Abhilash Shetty lbw b Saxena 4, Abhinav Manohar c & b Ostwal 96, Shreyas Gopal (not out) 24, Venkatesh M. c Nawale b Gurbani 4, Mohsin Khan (not out) 0. Extras (b-9, lb-2, nb-1, w-1): 13; Total (for eight wkts. in 110 overs): 309.

Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-98, 3-131, 4-135, 5-144, 6-236, 7-302, 8-309.

Maharashtra bowling: Choudhary 18-2-70-3, Ghosh 11-1-32-0, Saxena 31-3-84-1, Ostwal 33-16-49-2, Gurbani 8-0-34-1, Veer 9-2-29-1.

Result: Match drawn; Player of the Match: Shreyas Gopal.