Karnataka seamers R Vinay Kumar and Sreenath Aravind hunted in pair as their incisive swing bowling put the title contenders in pole position against Rajasthan in a Ranji Trophy group league encounter, here today.
Courtesy Vinay's 4/28 and Aravind's 4/36, Karnataka dismissed Rajasthan for 148 in reply to their first innings score of 374.
Skipper Vinay Kumar decided against enforcing a follow-on despite taking a 226-run first innings lead.
In the second innings, Karnataka were 78 for no loss as their total lead swelled to 304 runs.
Opener Ravikumar Samarth (46 batting, 44 balls) and Lokesh Rahul (32 batting, 46 balls) played fluently.
Rahul who is all set for a comeback to the national team hit four boundaries and a six. Most of his big hits came off debutant leg-spinner Salman Khan for a six apart from a couple of boundaries.
Having scored 76 off 85 balls in the first innings, Rahul's fluency after his comeback must have impressed chairman of selectors MSK Prasad, who is here to watch the match.
That he had also fielded for 54 overs is a testimony that he has recovered well from his hamstring injury that put him out of action after the first Test against New Zealand at Kanpur.
Brief Scores: Karnataka 374 and 78/0 (KL Rahul 32 batting, RK Samarth 46 batting)
Rajasthan 1st Innings 148 (Pranay Sharma 26, R Vinay Kumar 4/28, S Aravind 4/36).
Disclaimer: No Business Standard Journalist was involved in creation of this content
