A stroke-filled unbeaten 86 from Manvanth Kumar (124b, 6×4, 5×6) carried Karnataka from a precarious 187 for seven to 281 for eight on day one of its Ranji Trophy match against Saurashtra at the Alur Grounds near here on Sunday.
This was best exemplified in the way he hit Saurashtra veteran medium-pacer Jaydev Unadkat for two towering sixes — one down the ground after stepping out and the other clipped over square-leg in majestic fashion. Left-arm spinner Parth Bhut also bore the brunt as Manvanth, who was part of the victorious Col C.K. But a rash pull against pacer Chetan Sakariya led to his downfall.
Manvanth, who debuted against Andhra last week and scored an important 44 in the second essay, impressed with his audacity. Nayudu Trophy u-23 side in March 2024, hoisted him for three maximums. His maiden half-century came from 65 balls, and the hundred is for the taking. Neither prospered, but there were some welcome runs for Mayank Agarwal (42, 83b, 4×4, 1×6) and K.V. Aneesh (59, 96b, 8×4). The latter scored a flurry of boundaries square of the wicket, and completed his fifty off 66 deliveries after being on three from 27 at one stage.