Padikkal, Deshpande to the rescue

On a day when their big guns failed to fire, Karnataka’s inexperienced duo of Devdutt Padikkal and Pavan Deshpande bailed them out of trouble on an engaging opening day of their first Ranji Trophy Group B encounter against Tamil Nadu here at the NPR College ground on Monday.

It seemed sensible from Karun Nair to choose to bat first on a bright sunny morning, but 30 minutes before lunch, it was Tamil Nadu who sensed an opening when they reduced their arch-rivals for 88/3 which included the wickets of their batting mainstays Mayank Agarwal (43, 78b, 7x4, 1x6) and the stand-in skipper (8, 28b).

The task of rebuilding was thrust on the shoulders of Padikkal (78, 182b, 7x4) and Deshpande (65, 142b, 6x4) and the lanky left-handed pair delivered with a 116-run stand for the fourth wicket. Their rearguard act took Karnataka to a respectable total of 259/6 at stumps.

When they resume on Tuesday, Karnataka will heavily bank on Shreyas Gopal (35 batting). The leg-spinning all-rounder, who will begin proceedings with night watchman David Mathias (0 batting) for the eight-time champions, has anchored Karnataka’s lower-order resurrection many times in the past. K Gowtham, the last recognised batsman, was rightly held back.

Given the favourable conditions, it wasn’t an entirely satisfactory effort from Karnataka, who had to resort to a cautious approach after the early setback. In the fourth over, a K Vignesh delivery crashed through the gates of D Nischal (4). Agarwal, who took 32 balls to score his first boundary, got a move on by smashing Tamil Nadu’s R Ashwin (1/68) for two fours and a six.

The exciting battle between the two India internationals didn’t last long as debutant left-arm spinner M Siddharth had the Karnataka opener caught at first slip. Nair, not the best runner between the wickets, brought his own downfall when he attempted a single after hitting straight to short mid-wicket fielder Vijay Shankar.

Padikkal was playing only in his sixth first-class game but such was the 19-year-old’s dominance in the Vijay Hazare and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophies that he was certainly Tamil Nadu’s big wicket. The youngster, who tore apart several bowling attacks in those two limited over tournaments, soon tasted the stiff test of red-ball cricket.

Forced to curb his aggression, the Karnataka batsman admirably chose to play shots along the ground. Luck played its role in Padikkal’s grind in the middle. In perhaps his only loose shot, Padikkal’s uppish drive while batting on seven was shockingly put down by Siddharth off Ashwin. Siddharth had earlier missed a tough chance at point off Padikkal.

Siddharth’s maiden first-class match was a forgettable one as he also dropped a dolly at mid-on off Murugan Ashwin to give Padikkal his third reprieve, this time on 64. For his good fortunes and the hard work put in, it looked like it was Padikkal’s day. But it wasn’t to be.

Tamil Nadu heaved a sigh of relief when substitute K Mukunth grabbed a sharp low catch at short cover to send back the left-hander. Deshpande, who played with a straight bat early on to support his well-set partner, essayed many cheeky sweeps to notch his second first-class half-century.

Tamil Nadu’s ploy to play four spinners didn’t work as it was only the experienced R Ashwin who stood out. The off-spinner wasn’t just disciplined but he cleverly employed his variations that left the Karnataka batsmen clueless many times. After many close shaves, the 33-year-old was rewarded when Deshpande edged one to the wicketkeeper in the final session.