Tame finish to a bright start

Batting woes and frequent injuries bogged Karnataka throughout the season

It was meant to be a season of redemption for Karnataka, following their dismal show last time. The eight-time Ranji Trophy champions, however, once again flattered to deceive despite having some of the most talented players in their ranks.

Unlike in the last edition, where they struggled hard to produce outright wins and eventually bowed out in the group stage itself, this season began in encouraging fashion. Four wins on the trot after a draw in the opener assured them a knockout berth. While the confidence was sky-high, Karnataka did face challenges in all three departments at various stages of their campaign to varying degrees.

They were a superior team in terms of both experience and talent against Tamil Nadu in the quarterfinals but the shock seven-wicket defeat at the hands of their southern rivals once again exposed their problem areas.

Though most of the players, who were part of their unprecedented double-treble success (2013-14, 2014-15), played this season, Karnataka didn’t get the chance to field them all together until the quarterfinals for different reasons. 

After losing just one match in the group stage, Karnataka would consider themselves unlucky to have bowed out due to one bad game. However, the problems had piled up much before the last-eight game and unfortunately for R Vinay Kumar’s men, the areas of concern just got laid bare in their seven-wicket loss to Tamil Nadu.

The fact that Karnataka never had a set opening pair throughout their campaign was one of the reasons behind their poor starts.

While R Samarth, Karnataka’s highest run-getter of the campaign with 702 runs, held forth one opening slot, many were tried as the right-hander’s partner. Mayank Agarwal, who was the first option to open along with Samarth, was a big let-down. The attacking batsman managed to muster just 284 runs in seven games at an average of 23.66.

While KL Rahul opened in just two matches due to his national commitments, youngsters Mir Kaunain Abbas and Arjun Hoysala were also tried without any major success.  

Apart from the troubles at the top of the order, Karnataka never appeared to have a settled batting line-up for any length of their campaign. The frequent returns and exits, either due to national duties or injury concerns, of India internationals like Rahul, Karun Nair and Manish Pandey forced the team management to constantly change and chop which did off-set the team’s rhythm to an extent. 

Karnataka’s batting was also not tested to the hilt. While they found favourable conditions against Jharkhand (Greater Noida), Delhi (Kolkata), Assam (Mumbai) and Rajasthan (Vizianagaram), their ability to survive on pace and spin tracks was tested only against Vidarbha (Vadodara) and Saurashtra (Patiala). 

The inconsistent performances from the seniors didn’t help Karnataka’s cause either. A lot was expected of Robin Uthappa and Stuart Binny – a duo with significant international experience. But their below-par performances left Karnataka struggling on more than one occasion in this season.

Uthappa, Karnataka’s highest run-getter in the last two editions, was a pale shadow of his glorious past, forcing the selectors to drop him for the quarterfinals. Barring his 128 against Assam, the former Karnataka captain looked off-colour in most of the matches. Uthappa’s forgettable campaign of 328 runs from seven games at an average of 27.33 was a huge blow to Karnataka.

Binny, the leading all-rounder in the side, was ordinary with the ball. Having played all the nine games, the 32-year-old picked up just 12 wickets. The right-hander, with one hundred and a fifty, squandered many good starts.  

Shreyas Gopal didn’t perform to the level that was expected of him while injury and national duties didn’t give Pandey a decent run.

In the pace department, the experienced Abhimanyu Mithun, battling injury, looked jaded.

A few positives
But there were some positives to take home for Karnataka, with bowlers scripting some memorable performances. The returning K Gowtham was a revelation and the off-spinner was one of the best bowlers for the side with 27 wickets from eight games. Senior pacers Vinay (29) and S Arvind (30) were also on top of their game and the duo was responsible for consistently giving the early breakthroughs.

While Samarth impressed with his patient knocks, Nair, barring his struggle with abdomen injury in the quarterfinals, was at his reliable best. Youngster Kaunain Abbas was a good find and hopefully the batsman learns the art to convert his half-centuries into big ones.