Naidu century puts Karnataka in impregnable position

Himachal Pradesh 117 for 4 (Mannu 16*, Bisla 11*) trail Karnataka 452 for 9 dec (Naidu 105) by 335 runs
Scorecard

Anil Kumble brought himself on early and picked up a wicket as Himachal Pradesh trailed by 335 runs on day two © Getty Images

Karnataka rode on Thilak Naidu's stroke-filled century to pile up a first-innings total of 452 before taking four quick wickets to gain control of the game against Himachal Pradesh.

Naidu added 98 runs in 112 balls to his overnight seven, a typical innings with fours to square and lofted shots down the ground. He had just one moment of concern when, on 95, he charged at a delivery from the left-arm spinner Vishal Bhatia that landed well outside leg stump. The ball spun between his legs as he tried to pad it away but the stumping chance was missed.

He began the day with his favourite shot, a square drive - which he would repeat to bring up his fifty and his hundred - before unfurling a cover drive against the seamers to set the tone for the day. He then hit Bhatia to the straight boundary, and drove him inside-out through cover before cutting one past backward point.

Yere Goud, who made a painstaking 23, chipped a Bhatia delivery to midwicket but Naidu's response, on a flat track, was to shift up a gear. Changes were brought on in the bowling, but no one could keep him in check.

Ashok Thakur , the left-arm seamer who got the ball to straighten off a length and troubled Goud during a tight eight-over opening spell, was hit to the cover boundary, Vikramjeet Malik pulled to square and Bhatia lofted to the long-on boundary.

Naidu reserved his fiercest assault for Sarandeep Singh, the former India offspinner. He swept the first ball to the boundary and decided that was the way to go, repeatedly shuffling across, getting outside the line and sweeping forcefully with the turn. As Sarandeep pushed one further outside off, Naidu suddenly charged down the track to heave it over long-off. Sarandeep conceded 21 runs in two overs and was not seen again.

Bhatia was pressed back into the attack and struck to a restricting line - bowling well outside leg stump from over the wickets - to pick up some cheap wickets as the batsmen tried to increase the rate.

B Akhil, who shared a 61-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Naidu, failed to keep down a drive and Sunil Joshi heaved one to deep midwicket before Naidu himself fell. After slog-sweeping a boundary, he moved outside leg stump but was cramped by a Bhatia delivery that pitched way outside leg. He tried to pad it away but the ball hit his back pad before rolling on to the stumps.

Bhatia continued with his outside-leg line even to the tailenders as HP tried desperately to keep the runs in check. By the time the declaration came, with 40 overs of play left in the day, Naidu had put his side in a near-impregnable position and given his bowlers the license to go for the kill.

As it happens with a better bowling attack, the wicket suddenly started to look difficult to bat on. Joshi got it to turn and bounce, Anil Kumble found zip off the track and the seamers found some late movement. The Himachal openers had started off positively, adding 47 runs, when NC Aiyappa struck at the stroke of tea, luring the in-form Sandeep Sharma to edge to slip. Kumble, who brought himself on as early as the eighth over, forced Sangram Singh to jab to slip and, in the next over, Vinay Kumar trapped Paras Dogra for 3 before Joshi had opener Manish Gupta caught behind with a ripper.

As the shadows lengthened, fielders crowded the bat but Maninder Bisla and Ajay Mannu survived several shouts for leg before against Kumble to hang on till the close of play. Himachal know it will only get more claustrophobic tomorrow.