<p>The State side has displayed a refreshing vigour in the first three Super League matches to move miles ahead of their Group B mates. Uthappa touched on a variety of issues on the eve of their fourth league match against Maharashtra. Excerpts:<br />On Abhimanyu Mithun: We regret not playing him against Saurashtra last year. He is sharp and a quick learner. He knows how to keep himself fit, going to the gym. I am sure he is India material. Mithun can not only move the ball inwards in the air but also off the wicket. He has shown lot of maturity.<br /><br />On the pace bowling strength: Karnataka has three good seamers and all are among wickets. A Mithun, Vinay Kumar and S Arvind have served the team well. It’s also a huge advantage to have a team-man like Vinay. He sets it up nicely for the other bowlers to take wickets.<br /><br />On the new-look team: Many of these players have played under-19 and under-22 for the State. Now they have put their hands up and performed in the big stage. Well, I will not like to go over the top now and say Karnataka will win the Ranji Trophy this year. This team has the potential to win in the coming years. I will say we are confident of doing exceedingly well this year.<br /><br />On the Pune Club pitch: It looks like a bowl-first wicket. It rained last week and the pitch seemed to have a bit of moisture. Even if we bat first, we have the capacity to counter any type of bowling. Personally, I like to play in this part of the country where the wickets are good for batsmen and bowlers.</p>
<p>The State side has displayed a refreshing vigour in the first three Super League matches to move miles ahead of their Group B mates. Uthappa touched on a variety of issues on the eve of their fourth league match against Maharashtra. Excerpts:<br />On Abhimanyu Mithun: We regret not playing him against Saurashtra last year. He is sharp and a quick learner. He knows how to keep himself fit, going to the gym. I am sure he is India material. Mithun can not only move the ball inwards in the air but also off the wicket. He has shown lot of maturity.<br /><br />On the pace bowling strength: Karnataka has three good seamers and all are among wickets. A Mithun, Vinay Kumar and S Arvind have served the team well. It’s also a huge advantage to have a team-man like Vinay. He sets it up nicely for the other bowlers to take wickets.<br /><br />On the new-look team: Many of these players have played under-19 and under-22 for the State. Now they have put their hands up and performed in the big stage. Well, I will not like to go over the top now and say Karnataka will win the Ranji Trophy this year. This team has the potential to win in the coming years. I will say we are confident of doing exceedingly well this year.<br /><br />On the Pune Club pitch: It looks like a bowl-first wicket. It rained last week and the pitch seemed to have a bit of moisture. Even if we bat first, we have the capacity to counter any type of bowling. Personally, I like to play in this part of the country where the wickets are good for batsmen and bowlers.</p>
