Devdutt Padikkal replaces Mayank Agarwal as captain

Bengaluru: Karnataka's defeat to Madhya Pradesh in the Elite Group B Ranji Trophy match was perhaps the last straw that forced Karnataka senior selectors to relieve Mayank Agarwal of his captaincy duties.

Though Karnataka won just two of their seven games in the Mushtaq Ali Trophy and fell at the semifinal hurdle in the Vijay Hazare Trophy under Agarwal, they were favourites to enter the knockouts from their group, having finished the first phase of the tournament on top of the table, the loss in the penultimate match has pushed them to the brink. 

With his batting, too, staying inconsistent, Devdutt Padikkal was appointed Karnataka's new captain for their must-win final Group B fixture against Punjab, starting January 29 in Mohali. 

The selection committee, headed by former Karnataka cricketer Amit Verma, announced its decision on Monday afternoon. 

Agarwal, however, has been named in the squad and will continue to open the batting. 

“We feel that Mayank (Agarwal) gets very involved in terms of the team, and we feel that the captaincy responsibility is taking a toll on his batting," chief selector Amit Verma told DH. 

When asked if the decision was conveyed to Agarwal, Verma said the panel had a word with him.

"He is in a good place and is playing reasonably well. We expect a lot from him since he is a big-match player and gets big runs, which is not happening now. It was about trying to relieve the captaincy pressure as he is very crucial for us at the top of the order."

About Padikkal’s promotion, Verma said, “We wanted to put a little more responsibility on Devdutt (Padikkal). It will be good for him to grow. If you try to put that extra pressure and responsibility on him, it might help him to develop as a captain. And it could eventually help him when in the Indian whites as well.”

After being cleared of a shoulder injury, Smaran R has been included in the squad, while the return of India internationals, KL Rahul and Prasidh Krishna, would boost the side in a crucial game, especially with the in-form Karun Nair ruled out due to an injury. 

Abhinav Manohar, who failed to make an impact, has been dropped, while off-spinner Mohsin Khan and Dhruv Prabhakar return to the squad. M Venkatesh also finds a place after being deemed fit. 

While Shrijith KL has been cleared of any injury, Kruthik Krishna, who kept wickets for most part of the Madhya Pradesh game, could be in line for a debut. 

Squad: Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul, Aneesh KV, Devdutt Padikkal (c), Smaran R, Shreyas Gopal, Kruthik Krishna (wk), Venkatesh M, Vidyadhar Patil, Vidwath Kaverappa, Prasidh M Krishna, Mohsin Khan, Shikhar Shetty, Shrijith KL (wk), Dhruv Prabhakar.

Coach: Yere Goud; Bowling Coach: Mansur Ali Khan, Fielding Coach: Shabharish P Mohan, Manager: PV Sumanth, S&C: Irfanulla Khan, Physiotherapist: Abhishek Kulkarni, Performance Analyst: Giri Prasad, Masseur: Somasundar CM, Side-arm Specialist: Ashok V.