Rohan Patil’s blistering 72 off 88 balls gave Karnataka a 103‑run cushion over Tripura at stumps, yet the hosts still look woefully slow on the surface.
The Karnataka lineup, featuring Karun Nair’s 68, KV Aneesh’s 68, and a cautious 36‑run first over, struggled to maintain a healthy run‑rate of just 3.2 runs per over, blunting the attack’s momentum.
A turning point came when Vyshak Vijaykumar fell to a sharp drive from Sandeep Sarkar, curbing the first‑hour optimism, and the bowlers pierced the top order between the 20th and 30th overs.
Head coach R Vinay Kumar warned that a draw would mean a loss of knockout hopes, insisting the team needs a win to stay in contention.
With the second innings looming, Karnataka must sharpen their batting and tighten their bowling to convert the lead into a win; the next match against Punjab will decide their fate.