Ranji Trophy: Devdutt Padikkal boost for Karnataka

Bengaluru: It is a tournament that Karnataka love but one that has not loved them back in the last decade. Karnataka's lack of success since the 2014-15 title has been disappointing, having not made a single final since. 

As they head into their Elite Group B Ranji Trophy opener against Saurashtra at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot, the eight-time champions, led by Mayank Agarwal, look well-equipped to get underway with a bang. 

For starters, Devdutt Padikkal, who flew in to Rajkot from New Delhi to join the squad last evening after being released by the Indian team management, will be among the main attractions along with the returning Karun Nair. 

Padikkal is expected to open with Agarwal, while Smaran R, Nair, Shrijith KL and Abhinav Manohar are likely to share the batting responsibilities. 

With Padikkal’s inclusion, young opener Aneesh KV might stay on the bench. 

Karnataka will also hope that Nair still has the same hunger and motivation that he showed while turning up for Vidarbha. While the India call-up came his way after successful stints with Vidarbha, he may have something still to prove after being dropped just after one England tour. 

Smaran's first season got off to a great start. For someone playing his maiden season, he finished as Karnataka's highest run-getter with 516 runs at an average of 64.50. It remains to be seen if he can overcome the second-season blues.

Karnataka do possess a solid blend of youth and experience and the task for coach Yere Goud will be to ensure the sum of the parts exceeds the individual talent.

The other major concern for the visitors will be their spin bowling. The lack of good spinners, who could support the fast-bowling arsenal, has been a void Karnataka have been looking to fill. 

Veteran Shreyas Gopal did return last year after turning out for Kerala for one season and is expected to do the heavy lifting this time too. 

They have also picked off-spinner Mohsin Khan, who made his Ranji Trophy debut last year and left-arm orthodox Shikhar Shetty, from the U-23 talent pipeline. 

However, pace will be their strong suit, with Vyshak Vijaykumar and Vidwath Kaverappa the two obvious choices. They will also hope to maximise Venkatesh M's potential as a seam-bowling all-rounder, who adds depth to the side. 

On paper, Karnataka may not be the hot favourites to win the Ranji Trophy this time, but as their recent Vijay Hazare triumph suggests, this is a side that thrives when not given a chance.

The squads: Saurashtra: Jaydev Unadkat (c), Harvik Desai, Tarang Gohel, Arpit Vasavada, Chirag Jani, Prerak Mankad, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Chetan Sakariya, Parth Bhut, Sammar Gajjar, Ansh Gosai, Jay Gohil, Kevin Jivrajani, Hetvik Kotak, Ankur Panwar.

Karnataka (probable XI): Mayank Agarwal (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Smaran R, Karun Nair, Shrijith KL (wk), Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal, Venkatesh M, Vyshak Vijayakumar, Shikhar Shetty/Mohsin Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa.