Padikkal helps Karnataka on Day 1

CHENNAI: Opener Devdutt Padikkal continued his red-hot form, slamming an unbeaten 151, his third Ranji Trophy hundred this season, as Karnataka reached 288 for 5 on the opening day of their Group C match against Tamil Nadu here on Friday.

Electing to bat, the visitors lost skipper Mayank Agarwal (20) early, with just 35 runs on the board.

Agarwal was making his comeback as he missed the last game against Railways after accidentally consuming some liquid on-board a flight that caused burning sensation in his mouth and throat. Padikkal then joined forces with opener Ravikumar Samarth (57), constructing a 132-run partnership for the second wicket and took their side to a position of strength. The stand was broken after Ajith Ram knocked over Samarth.

While Karnataka lost the third wicket at 226, Padikkal went strong, clearing the long-on boundary quite regularly to bring up his sixth First-Class ton. Hardik Raj, unbeaten on 35, is giving company to Padikkal at stumps. For TN, spinner R Sai Kishore has bagged three wickets so far

Was confident about getting back to form: Padikkal

Padikkal expressed his delight after smashing his third century of the ongoing Ranji Trophy season, saying he was always confident of making a strong comeback after going through a lean patch in the last season. The 23-year-old, who had to make frequent visits to the hospitals due to an acute intestinal issue in 2022, failed to make an impact last season, managing only 260 runs in seven Ranji Trophy innings.

“I wasn’t doing too well in the last couple of years, resulting in a dip in my performance. But, I was always confident about getting back to scoring runs, and also in terms of my health and fitness. So, happy about it,” he said on the sidelines of the match. “It’s always great to score runs. We understand that when you are not scoring runs, it’s not a great place to be.”

‘Mayank has recovered well’

One of the most watched-out players for this match was Karnataka skipper Mayank Agarwal, who was making his comeback to the playing XI after missing the previous game against Railways.

Agarwal was hospitalised after mistakenly consuming some liquid on-board a flight that caused burning sensation in his mouth and throat. Mayank failed to make an impact in the first innings as he was dismissed for 20. He was not talking too much, indicating that he is yet to completely recover. Padikkal, however, declared that he was doing well. “He’s (Mayank’s) doing well. He has recovered well and is back with us, which is great news for us.”

BRIEF SCORES: Karnataka 288/5 in 90 overs (D Padikkal 151 batting, R Samarth 57, Sai Kishore 3/94) vs Tamil Nadu