Ranji semis: KL’s presence a big boost, says Gowtham

K Gowtham (left)

K Gowtham is so high on confidence right now, he deemed it fit to offer Bengal tips during an interaction ahead of Karnataka’s semifinal clash against them at the Eden Gardens from February 29.

‘Don’t play the name, play the game’ is what he came up with when asked if the pressure was on the hosts since Karnataka are fielding a near-full strength squad for their last-four clash.

With KL Rahul back in the State side after the completion of his tour of New Zealand with the Indian team, Karun Nair and Co look a complete unit with a solid batting order and a bowling arsenal which has proven itself over the course of the season despite a few set backs.

“It’s still not full strength,” said Gowtham on the sidelines of Karnataka’s optional practice at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here on Thursday. “We’re still missing Mayank (Agarwal). But the way the other players have played is great. Everyone has chipped-in in their own way. I guess that’s why the team bonding is good. We all stand together.”

“KL coming back is a big boost for our team,” he added.

While Karnataka have come up with appreciable performances from time to time, they haven’t looked as dominant as they have been the past few years. Yere Goud’s wards have managed to come up with the goods when their backs are against the wall, courtesy experience, but they don’t have history on their side going into their third semifinals in the last three years.

Allaying concerns

They lost to Saurashtra last season and Vidarbha the season before that in the last-four stage. Gowtham allayed concerns, saying they were looking to use lessons from their failed campaigns.

“We can’t think of what has happened in the past. The past is over, we need to look at the positives and learn from it. We’re only looking at these aspects and going forward with a positive mindset. We have lost two close semifinals in the last two years. It hurt us very badly.”

Gowtham’s confidence, however, didn’t let the all-rounder ignore how good Bengal are. After all, they did finish second ahead of third-placed Karnataka on the cross-pool table.

“They are a good side, but the pressure is on them,” said Gowtham. “Going to Bengal and beating in their backyard will give us a lot of satisfaction. We’re in a better position to win this game.

“Whenever we’ve played a good brand of cricket, results have come our way.”

Easier said than done.