Karun Nair's unbeaten 81 keeps Karnataka afloat after top-order collapse against Andhra

VIJAYAWADA: Dropped without explanation from South Zone’s Duleep Trophy XI six weeks ago, Karun Nair has answered in the language he has learnt well lately, runs under pressure. After an unbeaten century in the Dr (Capt) K Thimmappaiah Memorial Tournament recently, the 34-year-old dug Karnataka out of trouble with an unbeaten 81 (130b; 8x4; 2x6) against Andhra in their Ranji Trophy season opener on Tuesday, keeping alive their hopes of salvaging a draw.With Karnataka trailing by 144 runs on the first innings at the ACA Stadium here, the experienced opening pair of Mayank Agarwal (18) and KL Rahul (1) fell cheaply to leave the visitors reeling at 25/2. Karun, however, held his nerve, counterattacked when the opportunity arose and stitched together a 94-run stand with Manvanth Kumar (44) before combining with R Smaran to steer Karnataka to 176/4 in 60 overs, a lead of 32 runs heading into the final day.Having conceded the first-innings lead, Karnataka fought to keep the prospect of a draw and a point alive, reaching 176/4 in 60 overs with a slender 32-run lead heading into the final day.Earlier, Andhra were bowled out for 418 in 121.5 overs, with spinner Shikhar Shetty claiming a six-wicket haul after a long toil.Resuming at 331/4, Andhra lost centurion Seeram Rahul (119) when he was cramped for room by Ritesh Bhatkal (2/109). The teenage debutant added 11 to his overnight score of 108 before departing. Useful contributions from Venkat Sasikanth (39) and Saurabh Kumar (24) took the hosts past 400.Facing a deficit of 144, Mayank and Rahul began cautiously, but Andhra’s astute field placements left the experienced duo with little room even to rotate the strike.Left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar (3/41) proved particularly effective, using flight and guile to trouble the openers. He nearly had Rahul in the final over before lunch, but an appeal for a catch behind was turned down. The reprieve did little to help the Karnataka batter, who was trapped in front by Saurabh for a laborious one off 20 deliveries. In his next over, the 33-year-old, who moved to Andhra from Uttar Pradesh last season, trapped Mayank to leave Karnataka precariously placed.KV Aneesh (6) was the next to fall, edging Saurabh to skipper Ricky Bhui at first slip. Promoted to No. 3, Manvanth Kumar (44) joined Karun, and the pair set about rebuilding after Manvanth was dropped on seven.Karun eased the pressure with two sixes off Saurabh and Lalith Mohan in successive overs. As Andhra’s bowlers began to stray in line and length, the Karnataka duo grew in confidence. Karun remained a picture of composure, bringing up his half-century off 76 deliveries.Their 94-run fourth-wicket stand ended when Manvanth played back to a Lalith delivery and dragged it onto his stumps.First-innings centurion Smaran then joined Karun, and the pair wore down the Andhra attack with sharp running between the wickets. With Karun holding firm and Smaran providing support, Karnataka moved into a position from which they could realistically save the match.ScoreboardKarnataka (I innings): 274Andhra (I innings; O/N 331/6): SV Rahul lbw Bhatkal 119, Venkat Sasikanth lbw Shikhar 39, Saurabh Kumar c Shrijith b Shikhar 24, Lalith Mohan (not out) 16, Kavuri Saiteja lbw Shikhar 1. Extras: (B-5; LB-5, WD-1; NB-4) 15. Total: (all out; 121.5 overs) 418.Fall of wickets: 7-364, 8-395, 9-416.Bowling: Abhilash Shetty 12-0-49-0, Shikhar Shetty 35.5-2-115-6, Madhav Bajaj 33-4-94-2, Manvanth Kumar 4-0-33-0, Ritesh Bhatkal 35-3-109-2, Karun Nair 2-0-8-0.Karnataka (II innings): Mayank Agarwal lbw Saurabh 18, KL Rahul lbw Saurabh 1, Manvanth Kumar b Lalith 44, KV Aneesh c Bhui b Saurabh 6, Karun Nair (batting) 81, R Smaran (batting) 21. Extras: (LB-5) 5. Total (4 wkts; 60 overs) 176.Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-25, 3-43, 4-137.Bowling: Kavuri Saiteja 8-1-26-0, Venkat Sasikanth 2-1-4-0, Lalith Mohan 17-1-55-1, Saurabh 18-1-41-3, T Vijay 14-1-43-0, Shaik Rasheed 1-0-2-0Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.