Assam 185 and 25 for 0 need another 651 runs against Karnataka 452 (Uthappa 153) and 415 for 5 dec (Samarth 178)
Scorecard
Defending champions Karnataka piled on more runs and agony for Assam by setting them a massive target of 683 runs for the last day in Indore. Opener Ravikumar Samarth scored his second first-class hundred in as many matches before Karntaka declared on 415 for 5.
The visitors were 137 for 2 overnight, already leading by 404, as Samarth and Robin Uthappa stretched their partnership to 173, nearly taking the score to 300. Uthappa followed his first innings hundred with 77 and was bowled by Syed Mohammad. Karun Nair and Samarth put on another 85 to strengthen Karnataka's position further as Nair fell short of his fifty by two runs. Samarth's 178 off 298 balls featured 17 fours and two sixes, lasting more than seven hours. Karnataka declared soon after Samarth was dismissed only ten deliveries after Nair, with Shishir Bhavane and Shreyas Gopal at the crease.
Assam were given eight overs to bat, in which they scored 32 runs, but they face a steep task of not losing all 10 wickets to draw the match. Since Karnataka took the first innings lead, they will go through to the semi-finals if they don't snare a victory.