Ranji Trophy: Prasidh Krishna wrecks Mumbai as Karnataka seize control

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The unavailability of Sarfaraz Khan because of viral fever has left a huge void in the Mumbai batting line-up in this Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka. With the early dismissal of Test opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and Musheer Khan for five and one, respectively, to the impressive new-ball operators Vidwath Kaverappa and Vidyadhar Patil, it seemed Mumbai’s long tail started earlier than expected.

Cashing in on the brittle Mumbai batting in fine bowler-friendly conditions, India  quick Prasidh Krishna rocked the middle-order to leave Mumbai in the doldrums, bowled out for 120. Karnataka replied with 110-2 at stumps, just 10 behind. Krishna’s 3-21 — all his wickets coming in one spell of 5-2-9-3 post lunch in which he picked up the wickets of Suryansh Shedge, Akash Anand and Shams Mulani, the last two off successive deliveries — out-shadowed the impressive performances of Kaverappa (3-38) upfront and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (3-4), who polished off the tail.

When you have an international bowler in your ranks, you’d expect him to open the bowling. But Krishna came first change in the 11th over. “I did bowl with the new ball last game. Coming in one change this game, it’s just the way the team wanted to go about,” the 29-year-old lanky pacer said at the end of the day’s play. “I think it was the first-day wicket. There was a bit in the pitch. We started off well. Credit goes to Vidya and Vidwath the way they started. That let me come in and get my time in to hold the line and length that we wanted to do.”

Krishna was not surprised at Mumbai choosing to bat, saying “it was a good toss to lose” and credited his bowling partners Kaverappa, who completed 100 first-class wickets on the day when he dismissed Siddhesh Lad and Patil. Amidst the dominance by Karnataka bowlers, Mumbai’s 31-year-old opener Akhil Herwadkar nearly carried his bat through. He was beaten umpteen times early, had a life on 26, but stood like a rock amidst the dismal Mumbai batting before being the last man out for 60, trapped lbw by Gopal.

Brief scores
Mumbai 120 (A Herwadkar 60; S Gopal 3-4, P Krishna 3-21, V Kaverappa 3-38) K’taka 110-2 (M Agarwal 58 not out; K Rahul 28; S Shedge 1-16)

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