Hosts Karantaka fought back hard after conceding a slender 19-run first innings lead by reducing Saurashtra to 183 for eight wickets in their second knock on the penultimate day of the four-day 'Ranji Trophy Elite Group A' match in Mysore on Tuesday.

The hosts, resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 216 for nine, could add only 10 runs in reply to Saurashtra's 245 in the first innings.

Overnight centurion KB Pawan was last man out making 120. Sandeep Jobanputra returned with a rich haul of six for 70.

The Karnataka bowlers struck back with NC Aiyappa taking three wickets, Vinay Kumar and Sunil Joshi two each. The hosts had a chance to force win tomorrow with Saurashtra leading by just 202 runs with just two wickets in hand.

At one stage, Saurashtra had lost six wickets for 116 runs. Firoz Babbhaniya on 28 and Sandeep on 16 were at the crease at stumps.

Karnataka keeper Thilak Naidu wrote a new record for the state after taking 10 catches in the match. He had erased the past record of nine wickets stood in the name of Avinash Vaidya in 1992-93 against Assam.

Six times champions Karntaka must win this match to stay in hunt for a place in the knock out stage.

Scorecard:

Saurashtra (1st innings): 245
Karnataka (1st innings, overnight 226/9):
K Pawan c Kotak b Maniyar 120
R Uthappa c Malesh b Jobanputra 5
S Shinde c Rakesh b Jobanputra 11
B Chipli c Kamalesh b Jobanputra 5
C Raghu c Jogyani b Jobanputra 0
T Naidu c Jogyani b Rakesh 30
Yere Goud c Kotak b Rakesh 33
S Joshi run out 12
R Vinay Kumar c Jogyani b Jobanputra 0
N Aiyappa c Kotak b Jobanputra 0
K Appanna not out 0
Extras: (4b 5lb 1nb) 10
Total: 226

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-30, 3-44, 4-44, 5-88, 6-161, 7-195, 8-200, 9-206

Bowling: S Jobanputra 27-2-70-6, S Manier 12.4-3-39-2, R Jadeja 21-4-38-0, R Dhruve 14-0-40-2, K Vaghela 6-1-13-0, K Makwana 5-0-17-0

Surashtra (2nd innings):
K Vaghela c Naidu b Vinay Kumar 34
S Jogyani c Naidu b Vinay Kumar 7
S Kotak c Uthappa b Aiyappa 26
C Pujara b S Joshi 22
F Bambhaniya not out 28
R Jadeja c Naidu b Aiyappa 0
J Shah c Naidu b Appanna 12
R Dhruve c Raghu b Joshi 19
K Makwana c Naidu b Aiyappa 7
S Jobanputra not out 16
Extras: (3-b 4-lb 5-w) 12
Total: (for eight wickets, in 85 overs) 183

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-59, 3-81 4-95, 5-110 6-116, 7-141, 8-167

Bowling: R Vinay Kumar 24-7-46-2, N Aiyappa 14-2-70-3, S Joshi 25-8-36-2, K Appanna 22-9-24-1