Hubballi: Jammu and Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi (PTI Photo/Sailendra Bhojak) Hubballi: A surface that looked lifeless for most of the first two days came alive on Thursday, not because of any change in conditions but because of the quality of bowling. Unlike the Karnataka attack, which needed 173.1 overs to dismiss Jammu and Kashmir for an impressive 584 in the first innings, the visitors needed just 48.2 overs and 235 minutes to remove half of the home batting line-up. At stumps on day three of the Ranji Trophy final at the KSCA Rajnagar Stadium here, Karnataka were 220/5 in 69 overs, largely thanks to an unbeaten 130 from opener Mayank Agarwal. Trailing by 364 runs, the eight-time champions now require some huge batting from the rest of the line-up to stay in contention. The J&K bowlers again took a swing of the red cherry, the ball on the stumps and outside the seam. They ticked boxes that the more experienced Karnataka line-up didn’t even see. Leading the charge was strike bowler Auqib Nabi (3/32) who combined accuracy with intensity. As the battle lines for the title were drawn, much of the talk centered on Nabi’s clash with the Karnataka top order, which has four Test batsmen in the mix, and the seamer lived up to expectations. In a crucial passage of the game spanning four overs either side of lunch, Nabi removed KL Rahul, Karun Nair and season’s top-scorer R Smaran, each dismissal coming from deliveries that extracted the life from an otherwise docile surface. Opening the bowling, Nabi immediately put Rahul under pressure and probed full-length deliveries, mixing in the occasional short ball. Rahul needed 15 deliveries to get off the mark before briefly finding a rhythm with two boundaries off Sunil Kumar. Nabi eventually had the final say, producing a delivery that moved late to edge weakly to keeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan. Sunil struck soon after and dismissed Karnataka captain Devdutt Padikkal. Rooted in the crease, Padikkal poked tentatively outside the off-stump and Abdul Samad completed the catch in the slips. Karun Nair followed her almost immediately and dropped like a peach. Nabi swung one and Karun misjudged the line and the ball hit his off stump. Nabi then completed the devastating spell by removing Smaran, whose uncertain pressure on the delivery from behind led to an outside edge which Wadhawan collected safely. Reduced to 57/4, Karnataka were firmly on the back foot and the packed stadium fell silent, barring celebrations and chirps from J&K. Amidst the collapse, Mayank stood tall. Despite the carnage around him, the opener remained composed and focused on the long task ahead. With more confidence than his teammates, he countered with a swing by getting well forward and working the ball into the gaps to ease the pressure on the scoreboard. Shreyas Gopal (27) provided support in a steady partnership before Yudhvir Singh was caught leg in front of the wicket. Wicketkeeper Kruthik Krishna (27 runs) then joined Mayank and the pair ensured Karnataka reached stumps without further damage. With a massive first innings deficit still looming, the home team’s hopes depend on Mayank and the lower order pulling off the heist. Earlier, J&K, who started the day on 527/6, added 57 runs before being bowled out for 584. Pacer Prasidh Krishna finished with five wickets (5/98).
