Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh Draw First Blood in Ranji Trophy Opener

Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh played to a stalemate on the opening day of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group-C encounter at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. The hosts, after being asked to bat first, reached 232 for four from 83 overs, with Harpreet Singh Bhatia's unbeaten 75 (164b, 8x4) being the highlight.

Overnight rain provided some assistance to the bowlers, and Karnataka's Prasidh Krishna struck early, trapping Himanshu Mantri (0) in front in the second over. However, the outfield was slightly soggy, which seemed to affect the Karnataka fielders, who were hesitant in going for many a ball.

MP's batters were patient for the most part, but a rush of blood cost Subhransu Senapati (28, 61b, 4x4) his wicket, as he miscued a pull off Vyshak to be caught by wicketkeeper Sujay Sateri. Yash Dubey (20, 76b, 2x4) was adjudged caught behind, down the leg-side, off left-arm spinner Hardik Raj, a decision the batter wasn't too happy with.

Harpreet combined for crucial half-century partnerships with Shubham Sharma (40, 88b, 2x4) and Rajat Patidar (31, 61b, 3x4), which propped up the innings. Harpreet, a veteran of 75 First Class matches, showcased his pressure-handling skills when faced with some tight bowling.

Post-tea, Venkatesh Iyer brought in some urgency (25, 46b, 2x6). As the sun broke through for the first time, Venkatesh bloomed, launching leggie Shreyas Gopal over mid-wicket for a maximum and then dancing down the track to hammer V. Koushik straight down the ground.

Karnataka captain Mayank Agarwal impressed with a couple of diving saves, while an intruder ran in to click a selfie with Patidar but had to be content with a handshake after the on-field umpire's intervention.

The match is evenly poised heading into day two, with both teams having a chance to take control of the contest.

Tags: #RanjiTrophy, #EliteGroupC, #Karnataka, #MadhyaPradesh, #HarpreetSinghBhatia