Pawan`s unbeaten ton lifts Karnataka to 273/3

Udaipur: K B Pawan struck an unbeaten 121 to help Karnataka post a strong 273 for three on day one of their Ranji Trophy Elite Division match against defending champions Rajasthan on Thursday. Pawan hit 14 boundaries and a six as he faced 267 balls during his stay at the wicket. He was ably supported by Manish Pandey (58 off 67 balls; 8x4, 2x6) and Amit Verma (59 not out off 138 balls; 9x4, 1x6) as the visitors finished the day a high note. Put into bat by rival skipper Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Karnataka were off to a disastrous start, losing Robin Uthappa without a score on the board, with pace spearhead Pankaj Singh doing the damage in the first over of the match. Pawan along with Satish steadied the innings with a 45-run stand for the second wicket and the former then added another 88 runs for the third wicket with Pandey. However, it was the century-plus stand between Pawan and Verma that enabled Karnataka take honours on the opening day of the Group A tie at the Filed Club Ground here. For Rajasthan, Singh, Deepak Chahar and Sumit Mathur picked up a wicket each. Karnataka, who batted for 87.1 overs, are expected to have the upper hand when they resume their innings tomorrow with both the unbeaten batsmen Pawan and Verma going strong. Brief scores: Karnataka: 273 for three in 87.1 overs (Pawan 121 not out, Verma 59 not out, Pandey 58). PTI