A clinical Karnataka coasted to a seven-wicket victory over Maharashtra in their Ranji Trophy match here yesterday.

This is Karnataka’s first outright win in three fixtures thus far.

Requiring 130 runs to win on the final day, the host got past the finish line around 45 minutes into the second session. Openers Devdutt Padikkal (77, 128b, 11×4, 1×6) and D. Nischal (61, 212b, 4×4) put on

121 runs for the first wicket, which laid the perfect foundation for Karnataka.

Padikkal, making his First Class debut, was a picture of calm elegance. The southpaw favoured the back-foot drives and cuts, and ran well between the wickets with Nischal.

He looked set to make a century, until he succumbed to the guile of left-arm spinner Satyajeet Bachhav. A full delivery tempted Devdutt into lofting the ball into the hands of mid-on.

Nischal, meanwhile, played more than his part in Karnataka’s success.

The 24-year-old was confident in attack and defence, in a risk-free four-hour stay at the crease. He showed steady temperament, which went a long way in raising the confidence level in the dressing room. Karnataka next takes on Saurashtra at Rajkot on Thursday.

SCORES

Maharashtra — 1st innings: 113.

Karnataka — 1st innings: 186.

Maharashtra — 2nd innings: 256.

Karnataka — 2nd innings: Devdutt Padikkal c Khurana b Bachhav 77, D. Nischal b Khurana 61, K.V. Siddharth c Gaikwad b Bachhav 4, Kaunain Abbas (not out) 34, Pavan Deshpande (not out) 6; Extras (nb-1, w-1): 2. Total (for three wickets in 70.2 overs): 184.