Need to make a tall score: Vinay

Maintaining that Karnataka were lucky to win the toss on a ‘greenish’ surface, R Vinay Kumar said his batsmen have to play sensibly to drive the hosts to safety.

The home skipper returned his 14th first-class five-wicket haul (6/47) to pack off Rest of India for a modest 201 on the opening day of the Irani Cup here on Sunday. “History of the wicket suggests the first session will be crucial tomorrow. We’re not safe yet and there’s every chance the game could have a fourth innings. That is why, I think we need to bat sensibly and try to get as big a lead as possible,” he remarked after the day’s play.

Vinay then spoke of his performance and Stuart Binny’s (3/35) support – the duo sharing all but one wicket of RoI innings. “We knew the wicket would have a lot of help for the fast bowlers early on. Normally, we don't see this much grass on the wicket, but there was a bit more grass on this one. We were lucky to win the toss here. As for my bowling, moving the ball both ways is an art and whatever I tried today worked fortunately. Stuart supported me well too. He is so talented he gives us a lot of strength in all departments. We didn't miss him when he was unavailable because we kept winning and had good back-up players. But he offers a lot of depth with his bowling, his lower-order batting and even fielding.”

RoI batsman Dinesh Karthik, whose 91 was the sole saving grace of their innings, said it was a satisfying knock though he missed the three-figure mark. “It is very satisfying because sometimes it is not only about numbers. I know I was nine short of a hundred but the way I played and the way I approached the game, I was able to dominate towards the second half of my innings. So, I know I’m in a good space and very confident of the future.”