Devdutt, Smaran make fifties as Karnataka enter Vijay Hazare Trophy final
Vadodara, Jan 15: Devdutt Padikkal and Ravichandran Smaran produced a masterclass in tackling spinners on a tough pitch, as their fifties facilitated Karnataka’s entry into the Vijay Hazare Trophy final with a five-wicket over Haryana here on Wednesday.
Karnataka’s chase of a manageable 238 began on a shaky note, losing skipper and top run-getter Mayank Agarwal in the first over itself, as pacer Anshul Kamboj’s low-slung delivery trapped him in front of the wicket.
But Devdutt (86, 113b, 8x4, 1x6) and Smaran (76, 94b, 3x4, 3x6) milked 128 runs for the third wicket as Karnataka overhauled the target in 47.2 overs, making 238 for five.
But a victory with nearly three overs to spare at times can offer the picture of a canter, but the four-time champions’ march to the title clash with either Vidarbha or Maharastra was anything but that.
After Agarwal’s dismissal, KV Aneesh (22, 47b) took 14 balls to get off the mark and never really came to terms with the deck’s slow nature and variable bounce.
However, Devdutt and 21-year-old Smaran showed how to do that. Devdutt, fresh from his 102 against Baroda in the quarterfinals, paced his innings quite beautifully, taking the risk elements out of his game.
Most of his boundaries came through point or fine leg region, evidencing him playing late to counter spin.
But when the opportunity presented itself, the left-hander was happy to come down the track and thwack spinner Nishant Sindhu for a maximum over mid-wicket.
It was Devdutt’s seventh hundred in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
At the other end, Smaran too started cautiously but opened up once his fifty was reached.
He hammered spinners Sindhu and Amit Rana for a six each to underline his growing comfort levels.
Devdutt fell to Sindhu in his effort to close out the chase while Smaran was castled by the off-spinner.
But by then Karnataka had reached just 13 runs away from victory.
Earlier, Karnataka bowlers led by left-arm pacer Abhilash Shetty (4/34) kept Haryana on the back foot in the company of leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (2/36) and pacer Prasidh Krishna (2/40).
Himanshu Rana (44) and skipper Ankit Kumar (48) added 70 runs for the second wicket but no one really built on the platform.
It required a 39-run alliance from 10th wicket pair — Anuj Thakral and Amit Rana — for Haryana to reach a respectable 237 for nine.
๐๐ป๐๐ผ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ๐น! ๐ช
— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) January 15, 2025
Karnataka beat the spirited Haryana side by 5โฃ wickets in the Semi Final 1 of #VijayHazareTrophy! ๐ ๐
This is 5โฃth occasion when Karnataka has reached the Final of the this competition! ๐ ๐
Scorecard โถ๏ธ https://t.co/TGZrcvP4ES@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/4RlO1qSczf
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Opposition raking up Dalit CM issue to divert attention: Karnataka Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Monday accused the opposition of "unnecessarily stoking" the debate over a Dalit Chief Minister to deflect attention from governance.
He asserted that only the Congress has the commitment to elevate a Dalit leader to the top post.
Speaking to reporters here, Parameshwara said the ongoing discussion on a Dalit Chief Minister was being amplified by opposition parties.
“This is the work of the opposition. To hide their own failures, they are raising the issue of the Chief Minister. Isn’t the administration running smoothly? Isn’t the Chief Minister governing?” he asked.
The Minister noted that for the past 10–12 days, detailed budget discussions had been held across departments and governance was progressing normally.
Parameshwara, who is a Dalit, said the Congress alone had the history and political will to make a Dalit Chief Minister.
“Yes, it must be the Congress party. Who else will do it?” he said, while clarifying that the timing of any such decision would be determined by the party high command.
On Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s media statement targeting the JD(S) and invoking social justice, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah had earlier been part of the JD(S) and even served as its president before being expelled.
He noted that the internal history of that party was best known to those within it and declined to comment on specific internal matters.
Defending the Chief Minister’s ideological position, Parameshwara said Siddaramaiah’s politics had always been rooted in social justice and that there was nothing new or opportunistic about his stance.
The Chief Minister, he said, had consistently built his political career on that foundation.
