Vijay Hazare Trophy final, Karnataka vs Saurashtra, highlights: KAR win by 41 runs, clinch title

Karnataka rode brillant performances by Mayank Agarwal and Krishnappa Gowtham to clinch the Vijay Hazare Trophy by beating Saurashtra in the final on Tuesday. Batting first, Karnataka posted a total of 253 thanks to Agarwal and Pavan Deshpande. Kamlesh Makvana was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets. The Karun Nair-led side then followed it up with a disciplined bowling performance and although Cheteshwar Pujara waged a lone battle, the target was too great for them as they were all out for 212. Follow highlights of Karnataka vs Saurashtra, Vijay Hazare Trophy final here.

16:31 hrs IST: That’s it! Karnataka clinches the match by 41 runs and the crown is theirs!

16:23 hrs IST: It’s almost over as Cheteshwar Pujara was run out for 94. SAU 200/9

16:13 hrs IST: Cheteshwar Pujara continues to score runs as Saurashtra need 72 more to win from 42 balls.

16.05 hrs IST: Cheteshwar Pujara is fighting a lone battle as Saurashtra reach 152/8 after 41 overs.

15:53 hrs IST: That’s the fifty for Cheteshwar Pujara. But is it too late for Saurashtra? SAU 140/8

15:51 hrs IST: Krishnappa Gowtham takes his third wicket as he dismisses Unadkat for a duck, Karnataka need 2 wickets to win

15:49 hrs IST: Chirag Jani departs for 22, Karnataka need 3 wickets to win the title. SAU 134/7

15:45 hrs IST: After 36 overs, Saurashtra need 121 runs to win from 14 overs. Cheteshwar Pujara is 3 runs away from a well-deserved fifty.

15:23 hrs IST: Another wicket for Gowtham. Aarpit Vasavada goes for the drive but the ball kisses the outside edge and the slip fielder makes no mistake. SAU 101/6

15:22 hrs IST: Something that had to happen, eventually. Jadeja goes for 16 off 38 balls. He should have looked to attack from the word go. His wicket will put more pressure on Pujara. Karnataka well on top. Prerak Mankad goes for a two-ball duck.

Brief Scores: Saurashtra 101/5 after 28.2 overs (Pujara 39*, Krishna 2/19, Deshpande 1/10)

15:21 hrs IST: Wicket for Gowtham as Prerak Mankad goes for a duck, SAU 101/5

15:16 hrs IST: Ravindra Jadeja goes for the big one, but is caught in the deep off Deshpande. SAU 101/4

15:10 hrs IST: Now Jadeja is wasting too many balls. This is not ideal from Saurashtra’s perspective. Pujara is the man for Saurashtra. He is well-set and is nearing his half-century. One big partnership is what Saurashtra need.

Brief Scores: Saurashtra 87/3 after 23 overs (Pujara 36*, Krishna 2/19, Binny 1/27) vs Karnataka 253

14:43 hrs IST: Big blow for Saurashtra, Barot departs. Binny takes his first wicket. Jadeja comes to the crease. He has a side strain and that’s why he didn’t bowl today. Pujara has started to cut loose. He should look to stay till the end for his team.

Brief Scores: Saurashtra 77/3 (18 ovs) (Pujara 31*, Krishna 2/19, Binny 1/22) vs Karnataka 253

14:23 hrs IST: Consecutive boundaries for Pujara off Stuart Binny. Saurashtra need more of these. This is the time Karnataka need to strike quickly or else it’ll get tough. The partnership between Barot and Pujara has crossed 40.

Brief Scores: Saurashtra 56/2 after 14 overs (Barot 25*, Krishna 2/19)

14:08 hrs IST: Pujara has faced 25 deliveries and has scored just four runs so far. This won’t help Saurashtra. Pressure will pile up. As a senior player, he needs to step up. If he gets out now, this will put immense pressure on others. On the other hand, Barot seems to be going well. He has shown intent and looks pretty composed in his approach.

Brief Scores: Saurashtra 41/2 after 10 overs (Barot 22*, Krishna 2/19) vs Karnataka 253

13:52 hrs IST: Pujara and Barot are at the crease. This partnership holds the key here for Saurashtra. Pujara’s strike-rate hasn’t been good throughout the tournament. He needs to score quickly to take the pressure off himself and his partner. On the other hand, Karnataka have bowled extremely well. Nair is constantly talking to his bowlers. A couple of more wickets and Karnataka would hope they have a very good chance of winning their third title.

Brief Scores: Saurashtra 24/2 after 6 ovs (Barot 8*, Krishna 2/14) vs Karnataka 253

13:36 hrs IST: Just the kind of start Karnataka would’ve hoped for. Two wickets in the first three overs. Prasidh Krishna removed opener Samarth Vyas on the last ball of the first over and then got the better of D Jadeja. Saurashtra’s ploy to promote the tail-ender fails. The target isn’t that big but the pressure of the final seems to mounting on Cheteshwar Pujara’s side.

Brief Scores: Saurashtra 17/2 (Krishna 2/13) vs Karnataka 253

13:28 hrs IST: Dharmendrasinh Jadeja becomes the second victim of Prasidh Krishna, Saurashtra 15/2

13:18 hrs IST: Early breakthrough for Saurashtra as Prasidh Krishna dismisses Samarth Vyas. SAU 11/1

13:17 hrs IST: Samarth Vyas and Avi Barot open the innings for Saurashtra.

12:30 hrs IST: Kamlesh Makvana finishes with 4 wickets as Karnataka are bowled out for 253. Mayank Agarwal top-scored with 90.

12:28 hrs IST: Karnataka kept losing wickets at regular intervals, but they have played quite well to reach 253/9 as Sreenath Aravind departs.

12:14 hrs IST: A much needed innings from Pavan Deshpande but his fight ends on 49. KAR 244/8 

12:10 hrs IST: Pavan Deshpande nearing his half-century. Should look to stay till the end.Whatever the target is, the pressure of chasing will always be there. But so far, Saurashtra have done well and will look to carry forward the confidence when they come out to bat. Eight overs left. Karnataka have three wickets in hand. How much more can they score?

Brief Scores: Karnataka 234/7 (Agarwal 90, Deshpande 42, Mankad 2/54) vs Saurashtra

12:03 hrs IST: 40 overs gone. Karnataka are struggling at 223/7 with Krishnappa Gowtham departing for 9

11:57 hrs IST:  Looks tough for Karnataka now. Only four wickets left. 260 now seems a tough ask. All depends on how Deshpande plays. Saurashtra have been good in the field. They need to maintain their intensity and get the remaining wickets quickly.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 213/6 (38 ovs) (Agarwal 90, Mankad 2/54, Sanandia 1/19) vs Saurashtra

11:45 hrs IST: A slight mix-up and Shreyas Gopal pays the price as he is run out for 31. KAR 208/6

11;43 hrs IST: Karnataka’s scoring rate has been good despite losing five wickets. Shreyas Gopal and Pavan Deshpande hold the key here. If these two can stay at the crease for around 5-6 more overs, Karnataka will have a good chance of scoring 300. Unadkat has been brought back into the attack. Can he strike?

Brief Scores: Karnataka 199/5 (34 ovs) (Agarwal 90, Mankad 2/54) vs Saurashtra

11:40 hrs IST: 35 overs gone. Karnataka are 201 for the loss of 5 wickets against Saurashtra.

11:32 hrs IST: Karnataka’s Mayank Agarwal became the first batsman to score over 2000 runs in a single season in Indian domestic cricket. KAR 192/5

11:26 hrs IST: Saurashtra have struck again. Prerak Mankad has removed R Samarth and Stuart Binny. 300 seems unlikely here. Anything around 250-260would be something Karnataka would be looking at. Meanwhile, Agarwal is the first batsman to score 700+ runs in a single Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 173/5 (29 ovs) (Agarwal 90, Mankad 2/54) vs Saurashtra

11:17 hrs IST: Another wicket for  Prerak Mankad as he dismisses Stuart Binny. This is not looking good for Karnataka as they are 168/5 after 29 overs.

11:06 hrs IST: Ravikumar Samarth is castled by Prerak Mankad as Saurashtra strike twice in two overs. KAR 147/4

11:04 hrs IST:  Big wicket for Saurashtra. D Jadeja gets rid of Mayank Agarwal for 86. The Karnataka opener wanted to hit a flighted delivery over long-off boundary but didn’t the power and Jaydev Unadkat did the rest. R Samarth is going strong. Karnataka in need of another big partnership. Saurashtra have struck at the right time.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 143/3 (25 ovs) (Agarwal 86, Samarth 47*, Sanandia 1/17) vs Saurashtra

11:02 hrs IST: Dharmendrasinh Jadeja strikes for Saurashtra as Mayank Agarwal departs for 90. KAR 144/3

10:43 hrs IST: The 100-run partnership comes up for Mayank Agarwal and Ravikumar Samarth. Karnataka 107/2

10:40 hrs IST: The partnership between Agarwal and Samarth is nearing 100. This has been a good comeback from Karnataka after losing two quick wickets. Still no spin from Saurashtra. This season could well a career-defining one for Agarwal. If he does well in the IPL, he could find a place in the India squad for the limited-overs series against England, scheduled to take place in July.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 99/2 (19 ovs) (Agarwal 59*, Samarth 35*, Sanandia 1/17) vs Saurashtra

10:26 hrs IST: That’s another fifty for Mayank Agarwal. What an innings it has been from the Karnataka opener. Looks set to cross the three-figure mark for the fourth time in the tournament. R Samarth supporting him well. At this rate, Karnataka can post a very competitive score. Important for Saurashtra to strike at regular intervals. Pujara should look to bring in spinners.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 79/2 (16 ovs) (Agarwal 54*, Samarth 21*, Sanandia 1/17) vs Saurashtra

10:20 hrs IST: Fourth half century of the tournament for top-scorer Mayank Agarwal. KAR 72/2

10:05 hrs IST: Four of Agarwal’s seven boundaries have been hit have been through covers.The wicket seems to have eased a bit. Agarwal hits the first maximum for Karnataka in the 12th over. A fuller delivery from Mankad, the Karnataka opener leaned forward and smacked it over mid-off. Nearing yet another fifty.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 54/2 (12 ovs) (Agarwal 40*, Sanandia 1/17) vs Saurashtra

09:51 hrs IST: Mayank Agarwal has started to break the shackles. Six boundaries for Karnataka so far and all have been hit by him. R Samarth is also looking good. All Karnataka need is a big partnership here. As for Saurashtra, a couple for more wickets here, including that of Agarwal, will put them in good stead.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 39/2 (9 ovs) (Agarwal 27*, Sanandia 1/15) vs Saurashtra

09:42 hrs IST: Good batting by Mayank Agarwal as he takes Karnataka to 36/2 in 8 overs

09:36 hrs IST: R Samarth gets a lifeline after being dropped by Prerak Mankad at gully in the sixth over.Two more boundaries for Agarwal. He holds the key for Karnataka here. So far, Saurashtra seamers have made the ball talk. Can they continue to do so and bundle out the two-time Vijay Hazare champions for a low score?

Brief Scores: Karnataka 18/2 (6 ovs) (Agarwal 13, Sanandia 1/4) vs Saurashtra

09:21 hrs IST: Mayank Agarwal, who has been in magnificent form throughout the tournament, made his intentions clear with a boundary over covers off the first ball of the innings. But Saurashtra struck in the second over to get rid of Karun Nair, Karnataka captain, for a duck. Shaurya Sanandia got some inward movement and that was enough to castle Nair’s off-stump. KL Rahul, who returned from South Africa just a night ago, was run-out after facing just three deliveries. Excellent start for Saurashtra. Couldn’t have asked for anything better.

Brief Scores: Karnataka 5/2 (3 ovs) (Agarwal 5, Sanandia 1/0) vs Saurashtra

09:10 hrs IST: Karun Nair misses a straight delivery and Shaurya Sanandia hands Saurashtra the early breakthrough. KAR 4/1

09:06 hrs IST: Tidy start by Karnataka as they reach 4/0 after the first over against Saurashtra.

09:02 hrs IST: The match is underway and Mayank Agarwal whacks the first delivery for a four. KAR 4/0

08:53 hrs IST: Karnataka – Karun Nair (c), Shreyas Gopal, Stuart Binny, KL Rahul (wk), Arvind Sreenath, K Gowtham, Mayank Agarwal, R Samarth, Pavan Deshpande, Pradeep T, M Prasidh

08:51 hrs IST: KL Rahul is set to play for Karnataka despite having made his way back from South Africa only a night ago.

08:45 hrs IST: Saurashtra (Playing XI) - Samarth Vyas, Avi Barot(w), Chirag Jani, Cheteshwar Pujara(c), Ravindra Jadeja, Aarpit Vasavada, Prerak Mankad, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Shaurya Sanandia, Kamlesh Makvana, Jaydev Unadkat.

08:40 hrs IST: Saurashtra have won the toss and have opted to field.

08:28 hrs IST: On paper, Karnataka look slightly ahead with the likes of Karun Nair and Stuart Binny adding solidity to the middle order apart from the experienced CM Gautam. But Saurashtra too have a very experienced middle-order, comprising Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja and Arpit Vasavada.

08:23 hrs IST: Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy final between Karnataka and Saurashtra.

Saurashtra will be wary of the threat Karnataka opener Mayank Agarwal pose to them. Agarwal is the tournament’s highest scorer with 633 runs. With the likes of Karun Nair and Stuart Binny in the side, Karnataka look a strong unit.

Focus however will be on Indian national team cricketer Ravindra Jadeja who has been out of favour in the limited-overs international team for some time now. India’s Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara is captain of the Saurashtra team.