Off-colour TN face on-song Karnataka

Hosts hold psychological edge over defending champions

The unexpected bonus in the form of Goa’s stunning triumph over defending champions Tamil Nadu on Tuesday was just the tonic Karnataka required going into the first rest day of the South Zone one-day tournament for the Subbaiah Pillai Trophy.

Karnataka’s last title success in this competition came four seasons back, in 2007-08.

Since then, they have had to play second fiddle to Tamil Nadu, but Goa have them done a huge favour this time. The psychological edge, therefore, will rest with the table toppers when they run into a Tamil Nadu side desperate for payback at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Thursday.

For the second time in three completed representative innings, Tamil Nadu’s famed batting line-up failed to deliver the goods.

Rolled over for 295 after conceding 621 runs to Rajasthan in the Ranji Trophy final in Chennai last month, they managed a feeble 200 against Goa at the JIRS ground. A repeat of their inconsistency in batting on the morrow on a surface that has helped the quicker bowlers over the first two games will almost certainly spell curtains against a Karnataka team high on confidence.

Helped by debutant Ronit More’s remarkable burst of six for 18, Robin Uthappa’s men had shot Goa out for just 54 in their tournament opener on Monday.

To have seen the same team upset the holders’ applecart with a measure of disdainful comfort should convince the hosts that this is as good a time as any to lay the Tamil Nadu voodoo to rest.

That said, not without reason have Tamil Nadu been consistent powerhouses in domestic cricket. Under first-season skipper Lakshmipathi Balaji, they showed character often enough during the Ranji Trophy until running into a tartar in Rajasthan.

They will undoubtedly be smarting from the Goa drubbing; Karnataka can hardly afford to think that a batting line-up that includes Aniruddha Srikkanth, Abhinav Mukund, Dinesh Kaarthick and S Badrinath will be generous for a second game running.

While the immediate goal will be to win this tournament, teams will also be mindful of the fact that the runner-up too will secure qualification to the all-India Vijay Hazare one-day competition.

With all the attention in the lead-up to this event centering around Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad have quietly gone about their business. After the first two sets of matches, Hyderabad are level with Karnataka on points at the top of the table, though coach Sunil Joshi will have instilled in his team the realisation that they have yet to play the two big boys.

Hyderabad face Goa

Hyderabad take on Goa at the RSI ground, forewarned of the perils of taking their opponents lightly. Hyderabad have been hugely impressive in their first two games, the batting came to the party in the opener against Kerala and the bowling, spearheaded by Pragyan Ojha, doing the trick against Andhra on Tuesday.

The two teams vanquished by Hyderabad will lock horns at the JIRS ground, both nursing modest ambitions.

Andhra prop up the table after losing a point each in their first two matches, while Kerala, despite Rohan Prem’s twin centuries, have yet to get off the mark. The battle at Chinnaswamy might be for top honours; at JIRS, it will be for pride.