A day after being ignored by the selectors for the T20 tri-series in Sri lanka, Mayank Agarwal let his bat do the talking with a stroke-filled 90 which guided Karnataka to their third Vijay Hazare title as they outplayed Saurashtra by 41 runs in the final, here on Tuesday.
Agarwal, who is enjoying a dream run, was a stand-out performer in Karnataka's 253 in 45.5 overs.
In reply, Saurashtra could never force the pace as Cheteshwar Pujara's sedate 94 off 127 balls wasn't enough to take them beyond 212 in 46.3 overs.
While Pujara got his runs, wickets fell at the other end and the skipper left a bit too much for the rear, which ended in disappointment.
Off-spinner Krishnappa Gowtham was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3 for 27 in 10 overs.
The tournament belonged to Agarwal, who finished with 723 runs in the tournament and a staggering 2141 runs in the season with two tournaments still to go. He hit 11 fours and three sixes in his 79-ball innings.
"It has been a dream run for me. A crazy season. I thank the (Karnataka) selectors for showing faith in me when I was going through a tough time. I feel a lot more confident. Also recently I proposed my girlfriend and she said yes," a satisfied Agarwal said after the match.
It's not always easy to concentrate a day after facing disappointment of being overlooked but Agarwal's batting had no such signs. Jaydev Unadkat was driven through the covers, a straight six off seamer Prerak Mankad had a touch of arrogance.
With skipper Karun Nair (0) and Kl Rahul (0) back in the pavilion without troubling the scorers, the crack pair of Agarwal and Ravikumar Samarth (48) added 136 runs for the third wicket in 21.5 overs.
While there was turn on offer, Agarwal didn't look in any discomfort against spinners as he lofted left-armer Dharmendra Jadeja (1/56 in 7 overs) over long-off and extra-cover against the turn.
He hit a deft late cut off Dharmendra but the bowler finally got him when he tried another against the turn shot to hole out at long-off, when he could have got a big hundred by going steady.
Was it difficult to concentrate or motivate for the final, Agarwal replied: "I don't think it was a problem as I can only control what's there in my hand."
The only time he looked a bit stiff was when he was asked if MSK Prasad had spoken to him or not.
"Sorry, I won't comment on this," was his curt response.
When Saurashtra batted, pacer M Prasidh Krishna (3/37 in 7.3 overs) removed Samarth Vyas (10) and pinch hitter Dharmendra (1) in quick succession.
It was Gowtham's off-spin that put brakes on Saurashtra as Pujara dound it difficult get going.
Pujara and Avi Barot (30) added 62 runs for the third wicket before the latter was out. The tide decisively turned in Karnataka's favour when Ravindra Jadeja's indiscreet shot selection to slog off spinner Pavan Deshpande against the turn brought about his downfall.
"We lost too many wickets at the start and that was the problem," Pujara said after the match.
"The target of 254 was a gettable one. My only advise to the batsmen during middle overs was to play the turning ball cautiously. I firmly believed that in a small ground like Kotla, 100 runs in last 10 overs is chaseable if you have wickets in hand," he said.
Result
Karnataka: 253 (Mayank Agarwal 90 off 79 balls, Ravikumar Samarth 48 off 65 balls, Pavan Deshpande 49 off 60 balls; Kamlesh Makvana 4/34) beat Saurashtra: 212 (Cheteshwar Pujara 94 off 127 balls; Krishnappa Gowtham 3/37) by 41 runs.
Aravind retires from first Class
Karnataka left-arm seamer Sreenath Aravind, who had played a Twenty20 International against South Africa in 2015, on Tuesday announced his retirement from first-class cricket after his state team won the National One Day Championship.
"I have decided to retire from all forms of domestic cricket. I wanted to end on a winning note and it can't be better than winning the Vijay Hazare final," the 33-year-old Aravind told reporters after Karnataka's 41-run win against Saurashtra in the final.
In his 10 year career, he played 56 first-class games taking 186 wickets including two five-for. Often on slow tracks, he would bowl his slow left-arm spinners. He also had 103 T20 wickets from 84 games.
The high point definitely was playing a T20 International against South Africa, where he ended with figures of 1 for 44. He also played a few seasons of IPl for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Aravind said that with emergence of Prasidh Krishna and T Pradeep as potent fast bowlers, he felt it was better to leave the competitive arena on a high.
"I didn't want to block the progress of any talented player. I thought that this is the right time. I informed my teammates Monday night about my decision. I want to thank the KSCA for giving me an opportunity to serve Karnataka cricket, my parents and the Almighty," Aravind said.
Asked whether not being in India contention or IPl led him to such a decision, Aravind said: "No, I don't think so. It's a very personal decision."
Aravind has been a part of a highly successful Karnataka team, which has been a dominant force in the domestic circuit for some time now.
Along with R Vinay Kumar and Abhimanyu Mithun, he formed one of the most lethal seam bowling combinations in Ranji Trophy.
During this phase Karnataka won all the domestic tournaments including Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup, Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Championship.
"We all had requested him to carry on but he didn't want to come in the way of youngsters. We respect his decision and wanted to win the trophy all the more for him," skipper Karun Nair said.
Aravind expressed his desire to be associated with cricket if KSCA gives him an opportunity.
"Right now, I will take a two-month break. But may be I will play one more season of Karnataka Premier league. I will be happy to contribute if KSCA wants me in any capacity."