We could have batted a little better, says Vinay

R Vinay Kumar, who slammed an unbeaten 83 on the second day of the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal here against Rajasthan, said Karnataka could have batted better. The hosts’ mighty batting line up, responding to the visitors’ 224, stumbled to 166/9 before Vinay rescued them with a gutsy knock.

“I don’t think (it’s a kind of pitch where you lose 20 wickets in two days). We could have batted a little better. But the odd balls were doing a bit. If we could have stayed for that initial period when bowlers were coming hard at us, batting would have become a bit easier. As a bowler, you can bowl 18-20 overs in a day normally, after that your energy will reduce. If we had tackled those first 10-12 overs, we would have done better,” Vinay told reporters at the post-match press conference on Wednesday.

Speaking about his 97-run stand with number 11 Ronit More, Vinay said: “I need to plan according to the match situation. I know Ronit can defend, but if the ball keeps low he might play across. That was there in my mind. The opposition will definitely look to bring fielders in, in the last two balls and not give a single. I was ready to hit a boundary off the fifth ball and take a single off the sixth. That was the plan and it came good for us. But see, how much ever I perform, the same credit goes to Ronit. If he wouldn’t have stood there, we couldn’t have got a 97-run partnership.”

Ahead of the third day, Vinay said a disciplined bowling effort will be key for Karnataka. “The cracks are a bit wider now on the pitch and if you hit the cracks it can keep low. Definitely it will be difficult. If bowlers can keep it wicket to wicket, and keep the back of length line, the odd ball will keep low. If you can bowl in those areas, it is going to be difficult,” he offered.