Pune: While listening to a cricket commentary, one often hears the phrase that a certain player can keep going all day long. That’s exactly what Karnataka opener Mayank Agarwal did on Day Two of their Ranji Trophy Group A match against Maharashtra on Thursday.
The 26-year-old batsman showed his calibre as he scored his maiden double century at the MCA International Stadium here.
Toothless Maharashtra attack bent their backs but managed to pick up just two wickets in the entire day as the visitors finished the day on 461/2, 216 runs ahead, putting them in driver’s seat.
Agarwal was unbeaten on 219 after a mammoth 532 minutes innings in which he faced 373 balls, scoring 25 fours and two sixes. Other Karnataka opener, Ravikumar Samarth also made a classy hundred (129), while Karun Nair was unbeaten on 56 at the Stumps.
Samarth’s breezy start
R Samarth, who started the day on 47, got to his fifty on the second ball of the day with a boundary through extra cover off Nikit Dhumal.
If Maharashtra skipper Ankeet Bawne was hoping that his bowlers might get some help in the morning, his hopes would’ve definitely disappeared soon as Dhumal and Samad Fallah were erratic in their attack. They bowled too full, too short, wavered in general, as Karnataka openers sent Maharashtra fielders on a leather hunt.
Lead of 100 at Tea interval
Seeing Karnataka scoring at a brisk run-rate of close to 4 home skipper brought on Rahul Tripathi into the attack. While on 95, Smarth, despatched Tripathi’s delivery to the cover fence and on the next ball played a square drive to bring up his second century of the season, which came in 163 balls.
Visitors went into the lunch, with scores tied, but the only difference was Karnataka had their all wickets in hand, with Samarth unbeaten on 128 and Agarwal on 89.
Agarwal grinds it out
Soon after the lunch, Maharashtra finally got their first breakthrough in the 68th over. Samarth, tried to work Swapnil Gugale’s delivery, which was drifting down the leg side, but got faint knick and keeper Rohit Motwani took a catch.
But immediately after losing his opening partner, Agarwal raised his bat, to his cheering team-mates, getting to his hundred in 207 balls, an innings which was laced with 14 fours.
Debutant Dega Nischal (16 off 47) would not want to see his first-dismissal again, as he gave a simple catch to Bawne at leg slip off Khurana’s bowling.
Despite Maharashtra bowlers making life difficult in the post-lunch session with some tight bowling, the right-handed batsman went into tea with 151 runs against his name, and his side’s lead over the hosts showing exactly 100.
Karnataka pile on
Having come out to bat post Tea with scoreboard reading - Karnataka 345/2, Agarwal and Nair knew all they had to do was to pile on the runs.
In the 114th over of the innings, he cut Khurana for a four to move to 197 and bring up a century stand between him and Nair. On the fifth ball of the over, he leapt in the air with joy as a shot down to deep point had moved him from 198 to 200.
As even the Maharashtra bowlers applauded the classy knock by Agarwal, they knew that the game is beyond their grasp and they have their task cut out to save the game, when they will come out to bat next time.
Scoreboard
Maharashtra 1st innings 245
Karnataka 1st innings
Ravikumar Samarth c Motwani b Gugale 129 (219b, 17x4); Mayank Agarwal not out 219 (373b, 25x4, 2x6); Nischal Dega c Bawane b Khurana 16 (47b, 1x4); Karun Nair not out 56 (121b, 6x4)
Extras: (nb 10, w 12, b 17, lb 2, pen 0) 41
Total: (2 wickets; 125 overs) 461
Fall of wickets: 1-259, 2-319
Bowling: Samad Fallah 30-8-74-0; Nikit Dhumal 28-1-101-0; Pradeep Dadhe 18-0-84-0; Chirag Khurana 24-0-104-1; Rahul Tripathi 12-1-32-0; Swapnil Gugale 9-0-32-1; Naushad Shaikh 4-0-15-0
Karnataka lead by 216 runs.
