A file image of Vinay Kumar.
Former captain Vinay Kumar hit an unbeaten 83 and shared a crucial 97-run stand for the last wicket Ronit More (10) to help Karnataka take 39-run first innings lead against Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal on Wednesday.
The rearguard action steered Karnataka to 263, forcing Rajasthan to concede lead for the first time this season. The hosts were struggling at 166 for nine at one stage but Vinay and More rescued the team from the troubled waters.
Vinay smashed 10 fours and two sixes in his 144 balls knock while More (10) played out 59 balls ti support the former.
Rajasthan had scored 224 on the opening day with the help of skipper Mahipal Lomrov (50) and Rajesh Bishnoi (79).
When stumps were drawn on second day, Rajasthan were trailing by 28 runs, with Amit Kumar Gautam and Chetan Bist at the crease as the team reached 11 for no loss in three overs.
Leggie Rahul Chahar was the standout bowler for Rajasthan as he finished with figures of five for 93 runs.
Left-arm fast-medium TM ul-Haq and right arm medium Deepak Chahar, bagged three and two wickets each respectively.
Resuming at 12 without loss, opener Dega Nischal (6) was dismissed cheaply by Deepak Chahar.
After Ravikumar Samarth's wicket at 61 for 2, Rajasthan bowlers led by Haq and Rahul Chahar, ran through the lineup, pushing Karnataka into a deep hole.
The hosts lost seven wickets after adding 105 runs on the board. Krishnamurthy Siddharth shone with his bat by scoring a handy 52 runs off 91 balls decorated by eight boundaries.
Shreyas Gopal also made a useful 25 runs off 75 balls with three boundaries.
