Karnataka end season's winless run, thrash Tripura by innings and 116 runs in Ranji Trophy
Shreyas Gopal's five-wicket haul helped Karnataka secure their first win of the season and a valuable bonus-point haul in Mysuru.
Karnataka finally got their first win of the Ranji Trophy season, beating Tripura by an innings and 116 runs at the SDNRW ground in Mysuru on Thursday. The Elite Group B fixture ended inside four days, with Tripura bowled out for 180 in their second innings after Karnataka had already posted 490 for 6 declared.
The spin of Shreyas Gopal did most of the damage. Standing in as captain, he finished with figures of 5 for 36, his 11th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Vyshak Vijaykumar and Manvanth Kumar supported him with short-pitched bowling and disciplined lines, which broke Tripura's resistance after they had started the final day comfortably.
The result matters more than the margin suggests. Karnataka had bowled well on batting-friendly pitches in their first two matches without much reward, so the breakthrough was a relief for the team and for head coach R Vinay Kumar, who was celebrating his first win as a coach. The bonus points lift Karnataka to nine from three games, a useful cushion in a league where every point can decide qualification. Vinay said the team could have played better, a reminder that the squad sees room for improvement even in a comfortable win.
For Tripura, the defeat was their third in a row, and the news off the field added to their problems. Hanuma Vihari, the India international, has been ruled out of the rest of the season for personal reasons, according to head coach Satrajit Lahiri. Losing an experienced batter in the middle of a poor run is a serious setback for a side still searching for points.
Karnataka now travel to Guwahati to face Assam from November 2. With momentum finally on their side and a spin-and-seam attack that has shown it can take wickets, the next fixture is a chance to turn one win into a sustained push up the table. Full scorecards and match details are available on the original Deccan Herald report.