Gopal, Bhavane tons lead Karnataka surge

Bengal 312 and 58 for 2 (Ahmed 24*) trail Karnataka 537 for 9 dec (Gopal 139, Nair 126, Bhavane 119) by 167 runs
Scorecard

In a typically dominant and clinical fashion, Karnataka headed towards their first win of the season by taking a first-innings lead of 225 runs and then dismissing two Bengal batsmen in a curtailed last session of the third day. Karnataka's overnight lead of ten runs was extended by centuries from Shreyas Gopal (139) and Shishir Bhavane (119), who returned after an injury, and they declared on 537 for 9 with one full session to go in which Bengal scored 58 runs, before bad light stopped play. Bengal still trail Karnataka by 167 runs.

The centuries from Gopal and Bhavane made sure Karnataka did not stutter once Karun Nair edged one to the keeper off a cover drive after adding only seven runs to his overnight 119. Bhavane drove impressively off the front foot while Gopal used some late cuts and back-foot punches to hit several fours on the off side. Besides defending the ball patiently in the first session, Gopal attacked when the Bengal pacers erred with their lengths.

Bhavane, meanwhile, had to depend more on singles and twos because of his wrist injury. He took the top hand, which was injured, off the bat a few times while playing some shots and looked in slight discomfort with the impact of ball hitting the bat. He brought up his fifty off 127 balls by smashing Pragyan Ojha to the wide long-on boundary and by lunch Karnataka's lead had reached 115. Gopal did not spend too much time in the 90s. He cut a ball to third man to move from 93 to 97 and soon flicked Ojha to the midwicket boundary for his 16th four to bring up his third first-class hundred.

Ojha continued to bowl relentlessly from one end and the way both batsmen played him against the turn showed there was not much for spinners in the pitch. Gopal, in between, got a message from the dressing room to up the tempo with an eye on declaration. He started coming down the track to Ojha after lunch and struck Ashok Dinda and Sourav Sarkar for fours in consecutive overs. Bhavane also changed his strategy when he approached his hundred.

He frustrated Ojha by sweeping one to square leg for four, and when Ojha moved long leg to square leg before the next ball, Bhavane swept him fine for another boundary. But just before he could reach his century, Veer Pratap Singh brought one delivery sharply into Gopal and had him lbw for 139 to break the 142-run stand. Bhavane then brought up his maiden first-class hundred in the next over by steering Ojha to third man for two.

Karnataka started attacking immediately after Gopal was dismissed which resulted in quick runs with the fall of three more wickets. Vinay Kumar showed his intentions by getting off the mark with a reverse sweep for four and dispatching Dinda over the covers for another boundary. The plan cost Vinay when he made room again and was bowled by the same bowler. Bhavane's vigil also ended in the next over when he pushed at a delivery away from his body and edged it for Wriddhiman Saha who took a good, low catch.

Abhimanyu Mithun fell the way his captain was dismissed - he dispatched Veer Pratap for a six and was bowled next ball and with a massive lead in hand, Karnataka declared at the stroke of tea.

Karnataka were made to work for the two wickets as the Bengal openers saw through the opening spells of Vinay and Mithun, which made them bring legspinner Gopal in the ninth over, but he also went wicketless. The batsmen capitalised on the loose balls on offer, before the fourth bowling change of HS Sharath brought them success when he trapped Abhishek Das in front of leg stump in the 12th over. Six overs later, Shreevats Goswami looked to sweep the ball with the turn but edged it onto the stumps with J Suchith striking in his first over.