Karnataka's Mayank Agarwal.
Credit: DH File Photo
An on-song Karnataka would look to exploit Tamil Nadu’s vulnerabilities when the arch-rivals lock horns in their third Vijay Hazare Trophy Elite Group A fixture at the Gujarat College Cricket Ground in Ahmedabad on Monday.
Heading into the high-profile clash, the 22-yard strip remains a talking point. Compared to the Narendra Modi Stadium which has seen scores over 400, the GCA Ground has been a low-scoring venue, with teams managing to surpass the 285-mark just once in four innings in the ongoing competition. And that could play a significant role when both sides pick their respective elevens.
Mayank Agarwal’s men have stamped their batting authority in the tournament so far, winning both their Group A games in scintillating fashion. Against Jharkhand, Karnataka registered the highest successful chase in the tournament’s history, reaching 413 with 15 balls to spare.
Karnataka, then, carried the momentum into the Kerala clash and produced another clinical batting show to brush aside the neighbours by eight wickets.
The tournament has also seen Devdutt Padikkal push for higher honours, making a strong case to be in the ODI mix.
Padikkal has been a bridge in both of Karnataka’s run chases, registering two successive hundreds, while batting through the crucial middle-overs phase. The 25-year-old averages 135.50 with a strike rate of 106.27 and is currently leading the scoring charts with 271 runs.
He has been ably supported by Karun Nair, who smashed an unbeaten 130 (130b) against Kerala and the duo will hope for another outing against a wobbly Tamil Nadu side.
Karnataka will also be thrilled to see Agarwal back among the runs, registering a fluent fifty in the opening game.
After a sloppy bowling effort in the first game, Karnataka were disciplined with the ball in their second. Led by left-arm pacer Abhilash Shetty (3/59) and leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal (2/61), they restricted Kerala to 284/7 on a good surface.
Turning to the Tamil Nadu camp, their biggest strength lies in their batting unit with Sai Sudharsan, Narayan Jagadeesan and Pradosh Ranjan Paul shaping their top three. They have also received decent hands from Mohamed Ali and Sunny Sandhu.
On the bowling front, Gurjapneet Singh and Govinth Ganesh have impressed and the new-ball pair will look to cause early damage in the powerplay.
Consistency, however, remains TN’s Achilles heel. With one win and a loss so far, they have a task at hand against a confident Karnataka unit.