Bengaluru, Jan 23 (PTI): Ravichandran Smaran's patient fifty and pacers' outstanding effort overshadowed Shubman Gill's modest outing, an 8-ball 4, as Karnataka seized total control of their Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match against Punjab here on Thursday.

Skipper Gill's poor effort had a cascading effect on Punjab's innings as they crumbled for a paltry 55 in their first essay.

Smaran, who used all his technical nous, then made an unbeaten 83 (100b, 12x4s, 1x6) as Karnataka reached 199 for 4 when stumps were drawn on Day 1.

The home side now lead by 144 runs, and that cushion was the result of the remarkable spells by the pace troika of Vasuki Koushik (11-4-16-4), Abhilash Shetty (9-4-19-3) and Prasidh Krishna (8-3-11-2).

There was not a moment of respite for the Punjab batters on a lively pitch that offered appreciable pace and carry.

But Karnataka batters, particularly Smaran, negotiated the conditions far better than their opponents to drive their side to command.

Suraj's six-for wrecks Haryana Skipper Ankit Kumar made 57 but rest of the Haryana batters succumbed to pacer Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal (6/46) as Bengal gained significant upper hand in their match on day one.

Bengal reached 10 for 1 at close and need 148 runs to gain the important first innings lead.

Ayush's ton powers Bihar Middle-order batter Ayush Loharuka made a gritty 101 (227b, 13x4s, 1x6) as Bihar reached a competitive 248 all out against Uttar Pradesh at the of Day 1.

He had good support from Sharman Nigrodh (44) and Sachin Kumar (38).

For UP, pacer Shivam Mavi was the lead bowler taking four wickets.

In their first innings, UP made 4 for no loss in one over.

Kerala in command Pacer MD Nidheesh's 5/44 helped Kerala bundle out Madhya Pradesh for 160 and then reached 54 for no loss to gain massive strides in the match at Thiruvananthapuram.

For MP, skipper Shubham Sharma top-scored with a 134-ball 54.

Brief scores:

At Bengaluru:

Punjab: 55 all out in 29 overs (V Koushik 4/16, Abhilash Shetty 3/19, Prasidh Krishna 2/11) vs Karnataka: 199/4 in 50 overs (R Smaran 83 not out, KV Aneesh 33; Mayank Markande 1/6).

At Kalyani:

Haryana: 157 all out in 44.5 overs (Ankit Kumar 57; Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal 6/46, Mukesh Kumar 2/52) vs Bengal: 10/1 in 5 overs.

At Patna:

Bihar: 248 all out in 86 overs (Ayush Loharuka 101, Sharman Nigrodh 44; Shivam Mavi 4/61) vs UP: 4/0 in 1 over.

At Thiruvananthapuram:

Madhya Pradesh: 160 all out in 60.2 overs (Shubham Sharma 54, Venkatesh Iyer 42; MD Nidheesh 5/44) vs Kerala: 54 for no loss in 18 overs (Akshay Chandran 22 batting, Rohan Kunnummal 25 batting).

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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday appealed for peace and harmony in the wake of communal clashes in Bagalkote triggered by alleged stone pelting during a Shivaji Jayanti procession.

Tension prevailed in the district headquarter town of Bagalkote town on Friday following the face-off between two communities, prompting the district administration to clamp prohibitory orders.

Shops remained shut across Bagalkote amid the unrest.

In a post on X, Siddaramaiah said, "The stone-pelting incident in Bagalkot is a threat to the peace and harmony of the society. I and our government strongly condemn this."

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The CM said he had spoken to senior police officers and ordered them to conduct an impartial investigation.

Siddaramaiah has also instructed police to initiate legal action against the miscreants.

Some accused have already been arrested and are being interrogated in connection with the case, and those found guilty will be punished, he added.

Siddaramaiah said, “Providing a fear-free and peaceful life to the people of the country is our first priority. We will not tolerate any person or force that disturbs the peace and tranquility of the people.”

Urging citizens to stay calm and not to fall prey to any provocations, Siddaramaiah assured that the police department will discharge its duty impartially.

The opposition BJP blamed the ruling Congress for the incident, alleging that its "appeasement politics" has resulted in the communal clashes.

“The stone-pelting and shoe-pelting incident on the procession of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Bagalkot is a highly condemnable and despicable act. In this mismanagement, the law and order situation has completely collapsed in the Tughlaq Congress government, and the miscreants who disturb the peace have found refuge,” BJP state president B Y Vijayendra said in a post on ‘X’.

“If stone-pelting is taking place in the presence of the police, where is the safety of the common people in the state?” he asked.

Vijayendra alleged that such continuous attacks targeting Hindu festivals and processions look like a systematic conspiracy in the Congress rule in the state.

“Such hooliganism cannot take place without the courage of the state government to stand by them. At least now, the government of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah should leave its politics of appeasement and immediately arrest those who have harmed the honour of Shivaji Maharaj, who is the identity of the nation,” the MLA said.

He also cautioned the Chief Minister not to “test the patience of the Hindu society”.

“There is no question of remaining silent when it comes to the identity of our beloved men and our country!” Vijayendra said.