Ranji Trophy: Mayank Agarwal's rescue act takes Karnataka to 229-5

Karnataka opener Mayank Agarwal

Skipper Mayank Agarwal scored an unbeaten century as he rescued Karnataka from a poor start to guide the hosts to 229 for five against Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy semi-final here on Wednesday. Sent in to bat, Karnataka were in some trouble, losing half their side for 112 in 40.3 overs.

But opener Agarwal (110 not out) held one end together and in the company of wicket-keeper Srinivas Sharath (58 not out) steadied the innings with an unbeaten 117-run partnership for the sixth wicket. Karnataka scored their runs off 87 overs before the umpires called stumps to the opening day's proceedings.

Bengal ahead on Day One

Meanwhile in Indore, Bengal's crisis man Anustup Majumdar and young Sudip Gharami slammed centuries under pressure but ceded ground to reigning champions Madhya Pradesh at the fag end of the day in their Ranji Trophy semifinal here, which was evenly poised on Wednesday.

Displaying resilience, Majumdar (120) and Gharami (112) put together 241 runs from 414 balls as Bengal rebuilt the innings from being reduced to 51 for 2 in less than an hour into the opening day's play at the Holkar Stadium here.

Also Read: Ranji Trophy: Eight-time champions Karnataka outclass Uttarakhand to enter semifinals

But the duo departed in quick succession with Madhya Pradesh striking with the new ball to open up the match in the final session. At close, Bengal were 307 for four with skipper Manoj Tiwary (5) batting alongside Shahbaz Ahmed (6).

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