JOIN USKarnataka eyeing victory
The sixth position in the nine-team pool, even below sides like Odisha and Vidarbha which are placed third and fourth respectively, is hardly the reflection of the quality that Karnataka possess in their ranks.
Boasting arguably the most exciting batting line-up and perhaps the best pace attack in the country, the six-time Ranji Trophy champions find themselves in an unenviable position going into their sixth Group B clash against Vidarbha here at the Gangotri Glades from Saturday. Given how tight the group has been with at least seven teams still in contention to finish among top three, the hosts will have to make most of their remaining three matches including the one against Vidarbha.
Having starved of an outright win till their previous match against Delhi in Bangalore, Karnataka did well to overturn a significant first-innings deficit and trounce the visiting side by 159 runs to shake off some of the dust that had accumulated for some time now. For the first time after their stupendous chase to gain the first-innings lead against Tamil Nadu last month, Karnataka’s much-vaunted batting came into its own against Delhi to complement their bowling.
The changes infused in the line-up against Delhi resulted in mixed outcomes but held out a lot of promise for the future. K B Pawan’s replacement K L Rahul came up with a crucial half-century in the second innings while Robin Uthappa found success by re-embracing his old method of batting.
What started as a refreshingapproach, the one that eschewed the risk factor without sacrificing the scoring rate, to his batting against Baroda in the season opener had rapidly degenerated into a diffident style that was helping neither the batsman’s cause nor the team’s. The return to his tried and tested manner should be the way forward for the right-hander.
Manish Pandey produced a well-made fifty just when patience was wearing thin on him while Ganesh Satish is yet to come up with something significant after his maiden unbeaten double ton against TN. The one player who has been consistent is CM Gautam. The wicketkeeper-batsman has saved matches, has helped take lead and win a match with his sometimes stubborn and often flamboyant batting.
Just how crucial Stuart Binny is to the set-up was proved during their win against Delhi. The all-rounder provided important breakthroughs and chipped in with vital runs to make a big difference to the outcome.
The 28-year-old lends a fine balance, playing the supporting act to the pace department. The R Vinay Kumar-led bowling, which also includes Abhimanyu Mithun and the exciting H S Sharath, will once again hold the key to Karnataka’s fortunes on a green surface. With Vinay recalled for the Indian T20 squad against England, the home team needs to make the most of his availability for this match as he will miss at least the next match against Haryana at Hubli.
Vidarbha, with a string of imported players in their ranks, have remained in contention for the knockout berth with 12 points from five matches. The minnows have been served well by Hemang Badani, skipper Sairaj Bahutule, Shiv Sundar Das and former Railways player Faiz Fazal. Bahutule returns to lead the side after missing three previous matches due to injury.
The presence of these pros has not only bolstered Vidarbha but also provided them the much-needed experience at this level.
Karnataka, however, will back themselves to bag the full compliment of points on offer and strengthen their position in the group.
Teams (from): Karnataka: R Vinay Kumar (capt), Robin Uthappa, K L Rahul, Ganesh Satish, Manish Pandey, Kunal Kapoor, Stuart Binny, C M Gautam (wk), A Mithun, K P Appanna, H S Sharath, K Gowtham, Amit Verma, Ronit More, Karun Nair.
Vidarbha: Sairaj Bahutule (capt), Faiz Fazal, Shiv Sundar Das, Shalabh Shrivastava, Hemang Badani, Apoorva Wankhede, Amol Ubarhande (wk), Ravi Thakur, Gaurav Upadhyay, Shrikant Wagh, Sandip Singh, Amol Jungade, Sumit Ruyikar, Akshay Wakhare, Akshay Kolhar.