Deodhar Trophy 2018, India A v Karnataka, Review: Karnataka seal their spot in the final with 65-run victory

A stupendous all-round effort from Karun Nair led Karnataka saw the India A team get hammered in the most obnoxious manner possible at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA), Dharamsala. Karnataka Team managed to continue their dazzling stint which eventually helped them to outclass the opposition in all three aspects. With this win, Karnataka not only ensured their place in the final but also ousted India A in the most humiliating fashion.

Having played on this wicket against India B on Monday, Karun Nair and his troops came up with the set plan and one will have to say, they were able to execute it perfectly. The pitch curator offered a flat batting friendly track and the team from South ensured to utilise it in the utmost fashion. Opting to bat first, Karnataka Team got off to a great start with the inform batsman Mayank Agarwal playing some delightful shots. However, just when things were going their way, they lost Mayank for 22 runs which led Ravikumar Samarth to the crease.

The number three batsman along with the skipper managed to put up a partnership of 70 odd runs and helped their side to be in a strong position. Having lost the skipper, the middle order batsman Pavan Deshpande took the charge and went on to score blistering 95 runs laden with 10 boundaries and three mighty sixes. His innings with few scintillating knocks down the order helped Karnataka reach a mammoth total of 339 runs after 50 overs.

India A needed to chase down the total in 40.4 overs to qualify for the finals and knock Karnataka out of the Deodhar Trophy.

The Chase

In reply, both Prithvi Shaw and Unmukt Chand continued their formidable form and played shots with a lot of comforts. After putting 73 runs together, the former departed trying to play a fancy shot off Ronit More. Further, The coming batsmen got off to a decent start but were not able to convert the same into a big score. Eventually, the wickets kept tumbling for India A as they lost 6 wickets for just 37 runs. In lieu of that, they suffered a 65 run loss.

With this result, India B will take on Karnataka in the final on the 8th of March. Karnataka Team will be hoping to add another trophy to their cabinet this season. On the other hand, it will be interesting to see whether India B can bounce back from their last loss against the same opposition.

Brief Scores

Karnataka 339/4 in 50 overs (Pavan Deshpande 95, R Samarth 85; Shami 2/96)

India A: 274/10 in 39.5 overs (Unmukt Chand 81; Krishnappa Gowtham 4/52)

Result: Karnataka won by 65 runs