Lucknow, Feb. 19 -- Eight-time champions Karnataka on Wednesday virtually sealed their berth in the Ranji Trophy final against Jammu and Kashmir with an unprecedented 802-run lead on Day 4 of their semi-final against hosts Uttarakhand here. Young Ravichandran Smaran starred again, hitting his second ton (127 off 149 balls) of the match. His knock propelled Karnataka to 299/6 in the second innings, underscoring their batting depth ahead of the title clash starting February 26 in Bengaluru. Trailing by 587 runs in the first innings, Uttarakhand were bowled out for 233 at Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium. That gave Karnataka a massive 503-run first-innings lead after resuming at the overnight score of 149/5. Pacer Vyshak Vijayakumar ignited the collapse, dismissing Saurabh Rawat for 14 in the first over, then castling nightwatchman Lakshya Raichandani (55, 174b, 10x4) soon after. The hosts slipped to 175/9, but lower-order fighter Aditya Rawat fought gamely, scoring unbeaten on 45 off 38 balls with the help of nine hits to the fence as Uttarakhand nudged past 200. Vyshak and Vidyadhar Patil shared six wickets to rattle Uttarakhand's middle order. As expected, forgoing the follow-on despite the massive lead, Karnataka prioritised match simulation for the final. Captain Devdutt Padikkal promoted lower-order batters Kruthik Krishna and Shreyas Gopal for vital game time and Kruthik used the opportunity with 52-run knock. The 22-year-old Smaran once again shouldered the load after Uttarakhand snared four early wickets, leaving Karnataka at 122/4. He forged a 168-run fifth-wicket stand with KL Rahul (70*). Brief scores: Karnataka 736 & 299/6 (R Smaran 127, KL Rahul 70*, K Krishna 52, A Negi 2/53) vs Uttarakhand 233 all out in 88.5 overs (L Raichandani 55, A Rawat 45*)....