Uttar Pradesh fail to take last two Karnataka wickets, settle for 3 points

Meerut:  It was a case of so near yet so far for Uttar Pradesh as they failed to take the last two Karnataka wickets for an outright win, and had to eventually settle for three points after their Group B Ranji Trophy tie ended in a draw on Tuesday.

Uttar Pradesh earned more points on the basis of taking the first-innings lead.

Having declared at an overnight total of 343 for five, Uttar Pradesh set Karnataka a victory target of 446 on the fourth and final day.

Thereafter the host bowlers, led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/67), wreaked havoc taking eight wickets before the stumps were drawn at 274 for eight.

Crucial half-centuries by Ganesh Satish (70) and Manish Pandey (76) not only stopped Uttar Pradesh from registering a victory but also helped the visitors earn a point.

Uttar Pradesh had scored 283 all out before bundling out Karnataka for 181 in their first innings.

On the final day, Karnataka had a difficult task as they were asked to bat out the entire day to save the match, and the openers didn't help the team's cause either.

Both the openers -- KB Pawan (11) and Robin Uthappa (17) -- got out cheaply to give Uttar Pradesh a big advantage.

But Satish and Pandey came to the visitors' rescue as they consolidated the innings, putting on a 122-run stand for the third wicket, besides completing their fifties.

Satish spent 168 minutes at the crease during his knock that came off 111 balls and included 11 hits to the fence.

For his 76, Pandey hit eight fours and three sixes.

Amit Verma (33) and Muralidharen Gautam (26 not out) also put up a strong resistance with some important runs.

Brief scores:

UP: 283 & 343 for five

Karnataka: 181 & 274 for eight in 91 overs (Manish Pandey 76, Ganesh Satish 70; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 4/67).