Mithun backs batsmen to come good

In this Ranji Trophy season so far, Karnataka's batting has often been left clutching at straws. Sporadic resistance from certain batters has prevented the eight-time champions from enduring a disastrous campaign.

For a State with a reputation to produce classy batsmen, it's disappointing, to say the least, that Karnataka haven't had one centurion yet. Only two -- Devdutt Padikkal (425 runs) and R Samarth (272) -- have gone past the 200-run mark. Lying seventh in the combined Group A & B table, time is fast running out for Karnataka, who face Railways in their next match in New Delhi from Monday. Abhimanyu Mithun, the senior paceman, said a strong batting performance from his team is around the corner.

"In the coming few games, I feel you will see three or four batsmen scoring big hundreds," Mithun began at an interaction with reporters here at the Chinnaswamy stadium. "We played on very tough wickets in the last two games. The way they batted in those crucial situations showed a lot of character. We won against Mumbai and against Saurashtra, we saved the match. The Railways match will be on a good wicket. Then we have two home games -- everyone knows how the wicket will behave. We might get three or four centuries from our batsmen," he said.

Last season, Karnataka's bench strength stood up to the challenge in the absence of senior players but this time, injuries to key young batsmen have hurt the team. The worrying signs are apparent but Mithun maintained that the players are upbeat as the tournament nears the business end.

"Everyone is in a positive mindset. Look we have many match-winners. Take Samarth, for example. He is a senior and batted really well to get good scores in the last two matches. Those kinds of performances give us confidence," he said of the opener, who redeemed his career with three half-centuries from four innings.

With only two wins from five games, Karnataka are in desperate need of full points in their final three games. "Obviously an outright win will put us back on track. Railways aren't definitely a weak side. But we have guys who have played for the IPL, India and India A. So our players are very mature. We should be able to win this game," he offered.

On the personal front, Mithun has been Karnataka's standout bowler in all formats, this season. The right-arm pacer said working on his running technique has provided good results. "I am doing a lot of running. I warm up barefoot and then do some hurdles. It's helping me a lot. You saw the results in the one-dayers and Mushtaq Ali (T20 tournament)," he said.