Lucknow/Kalyani, Feb. 15 -- Karnataka and Bengal seized the initiative on the opening day of their respective Ranji Trophy semi-finals with dominant batting displays against Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir.
At Lucknow, KL Rahul and Devdutt Padikkal stitched together a massive 278-run stand for the second wicket as Karnataka piled up 355 for 2 at stumps against Uttarakhand.
Opting to bowl, Uttarakhand made early inroads when 18-year-old Aditya Rawat removed Mayank Agarwal for 5 with the score on 18 in nine overs. The new-ball bowlers extracted movement in the morning, but that was the only bright spot for the fielding side.
Once Rahul and Padikkal settled, they took complete control. Targeting the left-arm spin of Mayank Mishra, the duo l...