After conceding a damaging 122-run lead, Karnataka look all set to concede innings honours against Baroda in their Ranji Trophy season opener at the Moti Bagh stadium here on Sunday.
On Day 3, Karnataka lost grip on the contest to be dismissed for 284 in their first innings before Baroda finished the day at 115/5, for an overall lead of 237, a position of command going into the final day of the proceedings.
It was left-arm seamer Gagandeep Singh (5-49) who spoilt the Karnataka party with a five-wicket haul. Gagandeep, who had accounted for both the Karnataka wickets which fell the previous day, returned to claim three more in his 24 overs to put Baroda in the driver’s seat.
The other pacers — Irfan Pathan and Firdaush Bhaja — snapped two wickets each, while left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt took the prize scalp of overnight batsman Robin Uthappa for 82 (219b, 11x4). Before Uthappa’s departure, the visitors had lost Manish Pandey (18), caught behind the wicket off Irfan in the seventh over of the day, and Amit Verma (5) cheaply.
It was Stuart Binny, who returned a five-wicket haul in the first innings, who lived up to his all-rounder status with a composed half-century to give a semblance of a fight on the day. Binny laced his 102-ball innings with seven fours and a maximum before becoming Gagandeep’s fourth victim.
In their second essay, Baroda too were in a spot of bother when new-ball bowlers Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun plucked one wicket apiece in their respective first over. Vinay lured Kedar Devdhar in front of the wicket for a blob with the very first ball of the innings while Mithun sent back first-innings centurion Aditya Waghmode too for no-score.
A come-from-behind charge from Karnataka looked imminent then, and when Ambati Rayudu (21) and Yusuf Pathan (0) were dismissed by Binny and Pandey respectively within the space of just five balls, Baroda had just 65 runs on the board.
But Abhimanyu Chauhan (52 batting, 98b, 9x4) and first-innings centurion Irfan Pathan (33 batting, 34b, 6x4)) had other plans, and for the second time in the match, Baroda recovered from early jolts to wrest the upper hand.