Karnataka on shaky ground against Punjab despite Rahul's fifty; Desai puts Saurashtra on cusp of win

K L Rahul made a sublime half-century but Harpreet Brar helped Punjab reduce Karnataka to 255 for six in their first innings on day two of their final Ranji Trophy Group B league fixture here on Friday. The visitors still trail Punjab by 54 runs in a game that they must win to have a shot at qualification for the knock-out stage.

K L Rahul made a sublime half-century but Harpreet Brar helped Punjab reduce Karnataka to 255 for six in their first innings on day two of their final Ranji Trophy Group B league fixture here on Friday. The visitors still trail Punjab by 54 runs in a game that they must win to have a shot at qualification for the knock-out stage. Punjab are virtually out of knock-out contention but they showed on Friday they are not going to exit the tournament without a fight. Resuming the day at 303 for nine, Punjab ended with 309 all out in 92 overs. Lower-order batter and spinner Emanjot Singh Chahal was the highest scorer of Punjab's innings with a gutsy 83 off 140 balls. Karnataka began their innings well with the seasoned opening duo of K L Rahul (59 off 87 balls) and Mayank Agarwal (46 off 64 balls) sharing a 102-run stand. However, Karnataka's slide began with the dramatic dismissal of Agarwal, whose crisp drive was somehow pouched by Jashanpreet Singh off Emanjot at silly point. Rahul, at the other end, played delightful drives in his high quality knock. His effort also included sweeps and reverse sweeps before he was bowled by a beauty from left-arm spinner Brar, who got the ball turn just enough from leg-stump to deceive the India batter and find the middle stump. Just like in Punjab's case, the lower-order got crucial runs for Karnataka. Shreyas Gopal (42 batting off 124) and Vidyadhar Patil (23 batting off 56 balls) denied the opposition with an unbeaten 42-run stand. Brar's guileful effort with the ball for Punjab stood out on the day. Featuring in only his fourth first class game, the IPL regular got good purchase off the surface. He is on the cusp of another five wicket haul, having taken a match haul of 11 in the previous game. Harvik Desai puts Saurashtra on cusp of big win over Chandigarh ======================================== Saurashtra opener Harvik Desai is making his red hot form count. He took Saurashtra to 453 for three with an unbeaten 200 not out off 305 balls after the visitors bowled out Chandigarh for 136 on day one. Saurashtra, in the running for a knock-out berth alongside Karnataka, are on course for an outright win with the opposition trailing them by 286 runs. Brief Scores: In Mohali: Punjab 309 all out in 92 overs (Abhijeet Garg 81, Emjanjot Singh Chahal 83 batting; Vidyadhar Patil 4/56) vs Karnataka 255 for 6 in 87 overs (KL Rahul 59, Shreyas Gopal 42 batting; Harpreet Brar 4/101). In Chandigarh: Chandigarh 136 all out and 31 for 0 in nine overs. Saurashtra 453 for 3 in 106.1 overs (Harvik Desai 200 not out, Jay Gohil 98).

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