Shreyas Iyer’s century in vain as Karnataka chase down 383 in just 46.2 overs, enter stellar List A record list

Tasked with chasing down a mammoth 383 in their opening match of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Karnataka sparked a massive result over Mumbai with a near-record chase against the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy champions. A terrific 150* off just 101 deliveries by wicketkeeper Krishan Shrijith was the anchor of a strong chase, as Karnataka made a statement 7-wicket win to kick off their campaign at the Narendra Modi Stadium B Ground in Ahmedabad.

This was the second-highest total ever chased down in a Vijay Hazare trophy game, just one run short of when Andhra Pradesh chased down 384 against Goa in the 2011/12 season. It is also the fifth-highest List A chase of all time, with the standard still being South Africa’s historic and memorable chase of 435 against Australia in Johannesburg in 2005.

Karnataka craft strong chase

Karnataka’s chase saw significant contributions from all batters. While Nikin Jose only scored 21, he gave the innings good momentum at the start. Captain Mayank Agarwal saw out the new balls and ensured his team had a good platform with a well-made 47.

KV Aneesh then provided the impetus with the bat, scoring a rapid 82 against Mumbai’s attack to help Karnataka stay on top of the asking rate. Shrijith joined him at the crease and also scored at a fluent rate, his 150 including four maximums and a remarkable 20 fours.

Although Aneesh was dismissed and Mumbai were back in the game with Karnataka needing 183 in 141 deliveries, Praveen Dubey made sure Karnataka remained ahead of the asking rate. The all-rounder provided very able support to Shrijith as he added an unbeaten 65 off 50 deliveries. Ultimately, Shrijith was the star of the show as Karnataka hauled down the total with 22 deliveries to spare.

Earlier in the day, Shreyas Iyer had scored a terrific 114* off just 55 deliveries while Shivam Dube had also been at his power-hitting best. Mumbai likely would have thought they had enough on the board at the halfway stage, but Karnataka kept the pressure on a relatively inexperienced bowling attack to ensure they would remain competitive. Mumbai used as many as eight bowlers on the day, but their woes were compounded as lead bowler Shardul Thakur conceded 72 runs in just 6 overs of work.