Ranji Trophy Semifinal: Padikkal, Rahul Centuries Light Up Opening Day

Captain Devdutt Padikkal (147*) and KL Rahul (141) struck centuries as Karnataka dominated the opening day of their Ranji Trophy semifinal against Uttarakhand at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow. Asked to bat first, Karnataka posted a commanding 355/2, anchored by a 278-run partnership for the second wicket.

Uttarakhand’s decision to bowl first initially paid off when 18-year-old Aditya Rawat dismissed Mayank Agarwal for 5 early on. However, Rahul and Padikkal then took control, batting together for 65 overs and putting the bowlers under relentless pressure.

The pair started cautiously but accelerated once the seamers were seen off and the sun came out. Rahul stepped out to loft left-arm spinner Mayank Mishra for a six in the 21st over, with Padikkal following suit in the next over. Together, they hit 27 fours and seven sixes, with Rahul contributing five of those maximums. Karnataka maintained a scoring rate above four runs per over through the first two sessions, adding 133 and 130 runs respectively.

Rahul fell late in the final session, caught off Rawat’s bowling, but Karun Nair’s brisk 37* off 55 balls ensured Karnataka finished the day strongly.

In the other semifinal, Sudip Kumar Gharami’s unbeaten 136 held Bengal’s innings together against Jammu & Kashmir on a day where only 79.5 overs were bowled. Bengal ended the day at 249/5.

J&K, choosing to bowl, struck early by dismissing Sudip Chatterjee for a duck in the second over. Gharami survived multiple appeals, overturned two dismissals via DRS, and took 19 balls to get off the mark. He then built key partnerships: 89 with Abhimanyu Easwaran (49), 66 with Anustup Majumdar (14), and 94 with Shahbaz Ahmed.

However, J&K struck at regular intervals. Auqib Nabi removed Easwaran and Suraj Jaiswal in quick succession, while Abid Mushtaq accounted for Majumdar. The day ended shortly after Sunil Kumar trapped Shahbaz Ahmed LBW, breaking the fifth-wicket stand.