From BD Narayankar
Hubballi, Feb 26 (UNI) If the Thursday morning session belonged to Jammu & Kashmir’s lower-order fireworks and Prasidh Krishna’s five-wicket haul, the rest of day three at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground was shaped by a ex-captain’s response — Karnataka’s Mayank Agarwal standing tall amid early collapse and relentless pressure.
Jammu & Kashmir, having elected to bat, stretched their first innings to a formidable 584 in 173.1 overs. The tail wagged with intent. Yudhvir Singh lit up the final phase with a 30-ball cameo of 28 deliveries, hammering three fours and two sixes.
Yudhvir clubbed Shreyas Gopal, muscled Vijaykumar Vyshak for a flat six and rode his luck with streaky boundaries. Sahil Lotra’s determined 72 ended to a sharp bouncer, while Abid Mushtaq and Auqib Nabi fell to a fired-up Prasidh Krishna, who completed a memorable five-for in a Ranji final.
The innings ended in chaotic fashion when Yudhvir was run out attempting a non-existent single, Devdutt Padikkal hitting the bull’s-eye from mid-on.
Karnataka’s reply began brightly but soon unravelled. Sunil Kumar struck early to remove Padikkal, Abdul Samad taking a sharp catch at slip.
Nabi then produced a seaming beauty to dismiss KL Rahul for 13, Karun Nair for a duck before dismissing Smaran Ravichandran first ball. At one stage, Karnataka were wobbling badly with Nabi breathing fire in the corridor.
Through that storm walked Agarwal.
He began fluently, driving Sunil Kumar through covers and on-driving with elegance. Boundaries flowed square of the wicket and through mid-wicket as he countered both seam and spin. He brought up Karnataka’s fifty and steadily rebuilt the innings.
His half-century came off 82 balls, a knock marked by composure under pressure. He used his feet smartly against Abid Mushtaq, skipped down the track to loft over mid-wicket to bring up a 50-run stand, and punished anything overpitched with crisp drives.
There were nervy moments. Jammu & Kashmir reviewed unsuccessfully against him after a loud caught-behind appeal off Nabi, only for UltraEdge to show no bat. Later, on 63, he survived a major reprieve — Kanhaiya Wadhawan spilling a sharp chance off Abid Mushtaq as the ball flew off the shoulder of the bat.
But Agarwal made them pay.
He moved into the 90s with authority, lofting Sahil Lotra to the long-off fence to reach 99, and then brought up a stirring century — his bat raised high to warm applause — driving to long-on and acknowledging teammates’ appreciation. It was an innings of leadership when his side desperately needed it.
The 100-run fifth-wicket stand with Shreyas Gopal was finally broken by Yudhvir Singh, whose sharp nip-backer trapped Gopal lbw after a failed review. Yet Agarwal continued unfazed, flicking beautifully through mid-wicket, punching through covers, and steering Karnataka past 200.
By stumps, Karnataka had reached 220 for 5 in 69 overs, still trailing by 364 runs, with Agarwal unbeaten on 130.
In the broader context of this five-day contest, Jammu & Kashmir remain ahead courtesy of their imposing 584. Yet Day Three will be remembered as much for Agarwal’s resilience as for J&K’s dominance, a captain’s innings that has kept Karnataka’s hopes alive heading into a decisive fourth day.
Jammu & Kashmir 584 all out (Sahil Lotra 72, Yudhvir Singh 30; Prasidh Krishna 5/98), Karnataka 220/5 in 69 overs (Mayank Agarwal 130*, Shreyas Gopal 27; Auqib Nabi 3/32)
