State team unhappy with Mysuru crowd

 After having escaped with a draw against Haryana in their Ranji Trophy match, Karnataka expressed their disappointment over the local crowd’s indifferent response towards the home team.

In fact, the defending champions are so disheartened that they have requested the team management to consider shifting the November 7-10 match, scheduled to be held here against Odisha, to Hubballi.

Opener Robin Uthappa, whose 194-ball 66 helped the hosts avoid a defeat against Haryana, said the team was disappointed to see the home crowd not backing them and even added that Karnataka never felt any home advantage playing here.

“It’s disappointing,” said a dejected Uthappa after Karnataka finished their second innings at 202/8 on Sunday to eke out a hard-fought draw. “You are playing on your home ground and you’re being called names. It’s natural that we expect the crowd to back us completely when playing at home.”

The seasoned campaigner pointed out that it was not just a one-off occasion—when  the presence of Virender Sehwag in the match forced the crowd to shift loyalties—but that Karnataka have been at the receiving end from the Mysuru crowd for quite a long time.

“We expected them to back him (Sehwag) as he is a legend. But it’s one thing to support a player and quite another to turn against your own team. But this is not something new. On the professional front, we have learnt to take it in our stride. But emotionally, we have been let down,” Uthappa said.

Recollecting Karnataka’s past performances here, Uthappa felt one of the reasons behind his side’s ordinary record in Mysuru is the lack of support from the fans.

“A right kind of energy and encouragement is needed from the supporters and if you look at our show in Mysuru, we have struggled to produce an outright win here. Hubballi is a lot better and we have requested our team management for a change in venue for our next match which is scheduled in Mysuru,” the dashing right-handed batsman said.