Spotlight firmly on batsmen
Karnataka take on surprise entrants Haryana in last-eight match from today
After two months and 81 matches across two divisions played out over the length and the breadth of the country, the men have been separated from the boys.
In all, 27 teams -- Elite and Plate combined -- entered this year’s Ranji Trophy with different realistic goals, though each side’s overwhelming ambition was to make the knockout stage. Some fancied names fell by the wayside while others rose like the Phoenix, amongst the latter being unfancied Haryana.
Bunched in a tight Group B, Haryana edged out the likes of Delhi, Bengal and Baroda to make the quarterfinals, courtesy their dramatic come-from-behind victory in their last league tie against Gujarat. Those five points catapulted Amit Mishra’s side to third place in the group, their reward a tilt in the last eight against multiple-time former champions Karnataka.
Haryana will approach the four-day game beginning at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Monday with a nothing-to-lose attitude because man for man, Karnataka are the stronger side and should, all other things being equal, take their appointed place in the semifinals. However, the pressures of a knockout game are unquantifiable, which is why Ganesh Satish and his boys can hardly afford to think all they have to do to advance is merely turn up.
Karnataka were amongst the first teams to make the knockout stage, but having begun their Group A campaign strongly, they have tapered off significantly with only two points from their last two fixtures. Haryana, by contrast, blew hot and cold throughout the season, leaving it till the final delivery of their league skirmishes to snatch a surprise quarterfinal berth.
Whether anything should be read into these facts, however, is open to debate. What has transpired until now will have no bearing on what will unfold over the next four days on what is expected to be a very good batting strip at the Chinnaswamy.
There was a fair sprinkling of grass on Sunday, but some of it will come under the mower before the match begins, offering a perfect platform from which batsmen can make merry. Haryana haven’t topped 400 this season while Karnataka’s last three first-innings totals read 278, 281 and 314. Neither stat really inspires confidence, but given that it’s the batsmen that should have a decisive say in the proceedings, the hosts should consider themselves in a better space.
That’s not just because there is greater experience and flair in their line-up, but also because when they have got in this season, Karnataka’s batsmen have really made it count. Stuart Binny is in the form of his life and has three centuries this season, just like stylish left-hander Amit Verma, while KB Pawan, Bharath Chipli and skipper Ganesh Satish too have all made big hundreds, the last-named shrugging off a frustrating run with a huge 190 in Shimoga a week back. Destructive opener Robin Uthappa hasn’t quite set the stage alight in the later stages of the league phase, but on the big stage with a place in the semis on the line, he is so easily capable of exploding without warning.
Whereas Karnataka’s batting wears a rounded look, Haryana have been too dependent on openers Rahul Dewan (464 runs) and wicket-keeper Nitin Saini (482), and experienced middle-order bat Sunny Singh, their leading scorer this season with 577 runs. Haryana don’t possess the overall depth Karnataka have, though in Mishra, they have a canny and experienced leg-spinner who can do with considerable support from new-ball operators Ashish Hooda and the 20-year-old Harshal Patel.
Handicapped by the absence of R Vinay Kumar, A Mithun and S Arvind, Karnataka have been well served by comeback paceman NC Aiyappa and Binny, but they will expect more from KP Appanna. The left-arm spinner is the leading wicket-taker (26) among tweakers in the country this year, but has slipped considerably from the lofty early-season from that yielded him 17 sticks in the first two games.
Teams (from): Karnataka: Ganesh Satish (capt), Robin Uthappa, KB Pawan, Bharath Chipli, Amit Verma, Stuart Binny, CM Gautam, Sunil Raju, SL Akshay, NC Aiyappa, KP Appanna, SK Moinuddin, Karun Nair, KL Gowtham, Adithya Sagar.
Haryana: Amit Mishra (capt), Nitin Saini, Rahul Dewan, Sunny Singh, Sachin Rana, Prateek Pawar, Priyank Tehlan, Jayant Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Harshal Patel, Ashish Hooda, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Singh, Jitender Billa, Sandeep Goddana, Y Tomal, Abhimanyu Khod.
Umpires: Amiesh Saheba and Sudhir Asnani. Umpires’ coach: VK Ramaswamy. Match referee: Rajendra Jadeja. Hours of play: 0930-1200 hours, 1230-1440 hours and 1500-end of play.
