The return to form of Karun Nair bodes well for Karnataka as they take on Vidarbha in the semifinals today.
Credit: DH Photo/Krishnakumar PS
Bengaluru: Karnataka and Vidarbha, two sides whose top-order batters have been on fire in this edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, will lock horns at BCCI’s Centre of Excellence on Thursday in what promises to be a run-loaded semifinal with the latter looking for revenge after being outplayed in last season’s title clash.
After a disappointing Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy following an impressive Ranji Trophy group stage campaign, defending champions Karnataka have been in roaring form in the national one-day championship, thanks in large part to their top-order batting, led by Devdutt Padikkal.
The 25-year-old Padikkal, who somehow isn’t considered in the white-ball set-up in the national team, has yet again shown he’s as good a player in limited-overs as in the longer format by hammering 721 runs in eight games with four centuries and two fifties at a brilliant average of 103 to lead the overall batting charts.
Skipper Agarwal, with 411 runs at a solid average of 51.37, also has been in solid touch, constantly giving Karnataka strong starts in the company of Padikkal. The duo’s consistency has been one of the major factors behind Karnataka’s dominant run despite their middle-order blowing hot and cold in the group stage in Ahmedabad.
Vidarbha, the defending Ranji Trophy champions who lost to Karnataka in a one-sided VHT final a year ago in Vadodara, have carried on from where they left off the previous season despite losing their batting lynchpin Karun Nair.
Opener Aman Mokhade is just behind Padikkal with 643 runs, one-drop Dhruv Shorey (468), the hero of the quarterfinal against Delhi, is their second highest run-scorer, former Karnataka player R Smarath — a replacement for Nair — has collected 351 runs, while opener Atharva Taide has 262 runs. So it goes without saying Vidarbha will be banking on their batters to get the job done on Thursday.
Coming into the knockouts, Karnataka were staring at a few concerns which they ironed out somewhat in a dominant quarterfinal display against arch-rivals Mumbai. Vice-captain Nair, who has alternated between the brilliant and ordinary, found his touch in the nick of time with an unbeaten 74 off 80 balls. The only concern for Karnataka is the poor form of R Smaran and wicketkeeper KL Shrijith, the duo who will have to step it up in case there is a top-order collapse.
Karnataka played with four seamers in the quarterfinals, considering the morning 9.00 am start and the cold, overcast conditions throughout the day. The semifinal will be a day/night affair starting at 1:30 pm, so it remains to be seen if coach Yere Goud deploys the same tactics or plays an extra spinner in Shreesha Achar to accompany mainstay Shreyas Gopal.
Karnataka also have a proud record to protect at having never lost to Vidarbha in four VHT meetings, and they’ll be buzzing with confidence. Vidarbha, one of the most improved sides over the last decade and a half, will be hoping to turn a new leaf.