Pace trio gets it right once again

“It’s a total team effort,” said Vinay, at 25 already the senior fast bowler in the team. “Whatever I have learnt from my seniors like Venky (Prasad), I am passing on to these two younger guys. There is healthy competition amongst us, and that augurs well for Karnataka.”

Arvind added, “It feels great to be a part of this unit. I have learnt a lot from bowling alongside Vinay, and it feels terrific that between us, we have more than 100 wickets this Ranji season.”

Mithun didn’t want to reflect on the fact that he is just one behind Vinay’s tally this year. “I am just focusing on the task at hand,” said the 20-year-old, then pointed out that Rahul Dravid’s advice had stood him in good stead in the semifinal against Uttar Pradesh.

“Dravid sir told me to focus on bowling in the right areas to take wickets. He asked me to use the bouncers in the right way, at the right time,” Mithun noted. “I am happy that I could take four wickets on this wicket.

“From the far end, there was good bounce. Then, some balls were keeping low which created hesitation in the minds of the batsmen. This is a wicket which suits my bowling because I hit the deck very hard.”

Mithun said he had been unaffected by the pressures of bowling in a Ranji semifinal in his first season. “There was no pressure as such of playing in the semifinal. Also, we had posted a big total, and that really helped in settle whatever nerves there might have been.” Of his four wickets, Mithun said he enjoyed Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s scalp, trapped leg before late on Monday evening, the most. “That ball was a good one, the plan I had in my mind was executed well.”