Ranji: UP beat Karnataka by 5 wickets to enter semi-final

Kanpur: Captain Karan Sharma’s unbeaten knock of 93 runs helped UP beat host Karnataka by 5 wickets and sailed into the semi-final of Ranji Trophy championship on Wednesday.
Chasing the target of 213 runs set by Karnataka team, UP hit the required runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 65.2 overs and finished the match on the third day. As expected, UP bowlers wrapped the host’s second innings early in the morning on 114 runs.They captured the remaining two wickets after conceding just 14 runs.
S Sharath returned unbeaten on 23 runs while Yash Dayal picked the last two wickets and folded the innings of Karnataka. For UP, Saurabh Kumar captured 3 wickets and Yash Dayal and Ankit Rajpoot scalped 2 wickets each. The hero of the match was captain Karan Sharma who had hit unbeaten 93 runs in 163 balls scoring 13 boundaries and a six.
Early departure of Samarth Singh and Aryan Juyal gave an indication that the wicket was going to remain a graveyard for batsmen but Priyam Garg and Karan Sharma stemmed the rot and changed the course of the match. They batted with dedication and did not allow rival bowlers to penetrate their defence.
Though their third wicket partnership yielded 59 runs, it proved a booster for other batsmen. Gowtham K broke their partnership by claiming Priyam Garg’s wicket. Garg scored 52 runs in 60 balls plundering 6 boundaries and 2 sixes. He was caught by Shreyas Gopal. UP’s score was 87 for 3.
The visitors lost reliable Rinku Singh (4) and Dhruv Chand Jurel (9) cheaply and this indicated that UP was going to lose this match as it lost its 5 wickets for 114 runs. Skipper Karan Sharma got a good support from Prince Yadav who had hit the required 99 runs in their unbeaten sixth wicket’s partnership.
Karan led the side from front while Prince Yadav supported him from the other end. Besides support, he scored runs whenever he got an opportunity. At the end of the match, he returned unbeaten on 33 runs with 3 hits to the fence and a six.
For Karnataka, V Vyshak scalped 3 wickets for 47 runs. Vidwath Kaverappa and Gowtham K picked one wicket each.
Brief score: Karnataka first innings-253 and second innings 114
UP first innings-155 and second innings-5 for 213 (Samarth Singh 14, Priyam Garg 52, Karan Sharma 93no, Prince Yadav 33no ,V Vyshak 3 for 47, Vidwat Kaverappa 1 for 46, Gowtham K 1 for 49).